Archives for January 2007

Holidays Down at Borders, Too Borders was the last big chain to report sales for the nine weeks ending December 30 but the news is similar to what we’ve already heard. Same-store sales at the superstores fell 1.9 percent, registering $709 million, blamed on “a decline in store traffic.” Management had projected a better stretch, hoping that their Borders Rewards promotion would bring in more customers. Same-store sales at their ever-ailing Waldenbooks fell 6.3 percent, to $228 million. But the company’s UK-focused international segment outperformed competitors there, with same-store sales rising one percent and the strong pound making sales worth […]

CIA Blocks the Basis of Plame’s Manuscript The CIA’s publications review board has effectively blocked Valerie Plame’s book by telling her she cannot mention or discuss her employment with the agency at all since she was a “nonofficial cover” officer (NOC) posing as a private businesswoman, Newsweek reports. CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield says discussions with Plame are “ongoing” and that “the sole yardstick” is that the book “contain[s] no classified information.” Plame has hired an attorney to challenge the board’s ruling. Newsweek Personnel News Marian Lizzi has been promoted to editor-in-chief at Perigee, reporting to Pergiee/HP/Prentice Hall Press publisher John […]

Deal Reports Just e-mail to deals@PublishersMarketplace if you aren’t using the online form linked below. Report a deal using the online form The Key As usual, the handy key to our Lunch deal categories. While all reports are always welcome, those that include a category will generally receive a higher listing when it comes time to put them all together. “nice deal” $1 – $49,000 “very nice deal” $50,000 – $99,000 “good deal” $100,000 – $250,000 “significant deal” $251,000 – $499,000 “major deal” $500,000 and up FICTION Debut Patricia Wood’s LOTTERY, the story of a 32 year-old, mentally challenged man, […]

More Bad Holiday News Two of the three big chains reported bad sales for the nine-week stretch through December 30: Barnes & Noble termed it “somewhat disappointing sales for the season in a highly promotional and competitive environment,” with comparable store sales slipping 0.1 percent at the superstores at $1.1 billion overall (putting them down 0.3 percent on a comp basis for the 48-week period, at $4.1 billion). BN.com sales rose 2.7 percent to $108.5 million for the holidays, but are still down 2.4 percent from a year ago for 48 weeks, at $376 million. B. Dalton, an increasingly small […]

Deal News Among nearly 30 new deals just from yesterday: Douglas Brinkley’s biography of Walter Cronkite, to Harper; a former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst on our “still broken” intelligence agencies post 9/11, to Presidio; the capture of an ecstasy kingpin and his lieutenants, through the agencies in seven countries, for Ballantine; two books from Katherine Weber to Harmony; and of course many more. All the deals Deal Reports Just e-mail to deals@PublishersMarketplace if you aren’t using the online form linked below. Report a deal using the online form More Schedule Notes We’re back, though with the kids still off from […]