Challenges with getting copies of Josh Silver’s Fruit Fly and Marlon James’s The Disappearers are just two examples of a supply chain stretched thin this fall. New US tariffs on goods from Canada including paper, higher fuel prices, and the closure of the Coral Graphics plant in New York have all made it harder for publishers to reprint to fill demand, and print books on time in order to hold their original publication dates. “The book manufacturing industry is experiencing elevated demand as publishers prepare for the fall season,” Book Manufacturers International executive director Matt Baehr said. “Recent changes in […]
People 10/2
Imprints: Norton Waverly
Norton has launched a new imprint, Norton Waverly, led by Karen Lotz, director, children’s books and strategic development. The publisher writes that the imprint will publish books ranging from children to adult that “adhere to the principle of creating singular, spectacular reading experiences, flying free as needed from constraints of format, genre, and age banding.” The company plans to publish six titles a year. First titles include the illustrated Heir to Magic duology by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis “reimagining the world of Arthurian legend” and two books by Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens, including an illustrated […]
Barnes & Noble National Book Club Pick
Audible Launches “Bonus” Interactive Audio Experience in Audiobooks
Audible is rolling out three AI features in beta for US and UK users. Features will first be available for Audible Original titles, and the company plans to expand in the future. Later this fall, the company will release “interactive stories” that allow readers to have a “bonus experience” with a character outside of a book’s narrative, “brought to life through a unique combination of generative AI, conversational design, and rich sound production.” The first interactive story is adapted from Bram Stoker’s Dracula and follows the character of Renfield. “The character speaks first, assigning the listener a role, goal, and […]
Kobo CEO on Expansion and Older Readers
On the newest episode of the Open Book podcast, Open Road ceo David Steinberger talks to Kobo ceo Michael Tamblyn about not fighting with their competitors, changing consumer demographics, and internal debates about AI. Tamblyn explained that Amazon is the predominant seller of ebooks only in the US and UK, and other countries buy ebooks through local bookselling chains. Once Kobo was established in Canada, Tamblyn recognized that competing with Amazon, Google, Apple, and Barnes & Noble for market share in the US would be like “a knife fight in a dark basement.” Instead, Kobo expanded into Europe and Asia, […]