Archives for November 2007

Bertelsmann Q3: Sales Slide; Profits Up Bertelsmann issued one of those very brief, very European third quarter trading updates that doesn’t reveal a lot of information (and does not break out performance by divisions). “Adjusted revenues” (which account for both portfolio changes and “exchange rate effects”) were flat for the quarter at 4.3 billion euros, […]

Macmillan Buys Audio Company Macmillan Audio (formerly Audio Renaissance) has acquired Language Dynamics, which creates “fast and easy to learn foreign language courses” and the Behind the Wheel line of instructional foreign language audiobooks. President of Language Dynamics Mark Frobose was represented by attorney Paul Levine and agent Peter Miller of PMA Literary and Film […]

First Man Asian Winner Jiang Rong, 62, won the first $10,000 Man Asian Literary Prize for WOLF TOTEM. Penguin China general manager Jo Lusby says, “He was completely unknown, this book came completely left field. Something in your gut… and publisher’s sensibility screams out, this is really unusual and there’s something that people have never […]

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 […]

Coming December 1?: James Potter and the Hall of Elder’s Crossing A teaser web site is promoting the arrival of “James Potter and the Hall of Elder’s Crossing” with a countdown clock that says the hall opens December 1. Copy at the site says, “If you are here then you are a friend (or a […]

Sales Drop, Profits Plunge at Harper Profits fell 35 percent to $36 million at HarperCollins in their first quarter, as sales fell 10 percent to $330 million from $368 million a year ago. Acknowledging it as a “terrible” quarter, CEO Jane Friedman noted, “I would say we’ve probably not have a quarter this bad during […]