The NYT has a “trend” piece on self-publishing that only got published because it’s pitched–speciously–as a contrast-to-the-death-of-regular-publishing story. Which leads to such unprovable stretches as “during an economic downturn, books tailored to such narrow audiences may fare better than titles from traditional publishers that depend on a more general appeal.” POD-driven self-publishing has indeed been a steady growth story for about eight years now that has little or nothing to do with the rest of the business. As they note, “self-publishing is still a fraction of the wider publishing industry. Author Solutions, for example, sold a total of 2.5 million […]
Archives for January 2009
Let's Go Travels to New Home
Let’s Go, the Harvard Student Agencies travel guide book line, has announced a new “publishing and distribution partnership” with Perseus Books Group’s Avalon Travel imprint and their distributor Publishers Group West. (We reported in September 2007 that longtime partner St. Martin’s Press had decided not to renew their contract with Let’s Go when it expired in fall 2009, after 25 years together.) Avalon will print and market the guides, with PGW handling sales and distribution, beginning with the 2010 series. Twenty-six guides will initiate the relationship in November 2009, coinciding with Let’s Go’s 50th anniversary.
What Will Happen at Amazon's Press Conference?
The company will hold an “important press conference in New York at the Morgan Library on the morning of February 9. Their last NY press event was the launch of Kindle in late 2007.AllThingsD
Harper Presents Retirement Offer
This morning HarperCollins presented to US employees internally a voluntary retirement package, available to people over age 55 who have been with the company for more than five years. The offer was made to employees at the company’s New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles offices and their Scranton warehouse. It does not extend to Zondervan or any Harper units outside of the US for now; spokesperson Erin Crum notes that “each business area has different needs and legal requirements.” Noting that they company “has never done anything like this before,” Crum would not indicate a target number of job […]
Saletan to Riverhead
Former publisher at Harcourt Houghton Mifflin Rebecca Saletan will join Riverhead in March. Saletan says, “I have long admired this publisher, and in a very challenging time in the industry I am so thrilled to be at a house that is a paragon of stability and foresight.” She will acquire “a broad range of narrative nonfiction, in such areas as science, travel, natural history, current affairs, the environment and food, as well as literary fiction,” according to the release. Publisher Geoff Kloske says “I’m very pleased to welcome an editor of Becky’s exceptional talent and breadth of experience to Riverhead’s […]
Nelson Leaves PW in RBI Layoffs; Criticas to Stop Printing
Following the suspension of efforts to sell the company last December, Reed Business Information executed layoffs throughout the US division of company yesterday said to comprise 7 percent of employees. The company also is said to have imposed a salary and hiring freeze for 2009. (A separate UK report says that 35 employees were eliminated from that part of the company.) PW’s high-profile editor-in-chief Sara Nelson was among the people laid off. Other reported layoffs at PW include longtime executive editor Daisy Maryles, bookselling editor Kevin Howell, and director of business development Rachel Dicker. From within the same publishing group, […]