Princeton University says they are testing the Kindle DX for the same reason that many publishers bought Sony Readers for staff: to save on printing and photocopying. At a site to explain the pilot, the university says, “A driving factor in the launch of this pilot was the patterns of printing on campus. Statistics show that students are not reading digital articles and book selections on their computer screens, but rather downloading the same files again and again, and printing them multiple times in the course of a semester…. Since the inception of digital document delivery on campus, printing has […]
Archives for May 2009
People
Ten Speed Press acting publisher Aaron Wehner now formally has the publisher’s job, reporting to Crown Publishing Group president Jenny Frost. Wehner joined Ten Speed in 1997, and Frost notes he “has been instrument in establishing Ten Speed as one of leading cookbook publishers in the country, and the cookbooks he has edited have received a remarkable 20 James Beard and IACP nominations, garnering 11 wins.” Jane Mayer‘s THE DARK SIDE: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals won 2009 New York Public Library Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism […]
Columbia to Close Warehouse, Move to Perseus
Columbia University Press announced that they will close their warehouse in Irvington, NY this summer, eliminating approximately 25 positions as a result. President and director Jim Jordan says, “Any decision involving job loss is difficult, especially when dedicated staff have served the Press professionally and well for many years. Nevertheless, this is the right direction for the Press, its clients, and authors.” Perseus Distribution will take over fulfillment of the Press’s book. The announcement notes the “restructuring is part of an overall effort to improve print economics while facilitating electronic delivery,” in part through the network of services and partners […]
June Indie Next Picks
Here are next month’s picks from the ABA: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane: A Novel by Katherine HoweLast Night in Montreal: A Novel by Emily St. John MandelThe Strain by Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck HoganCrazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival by Norman OllestadFar Bright Star: A Novel by Robert OlmsteadThe Dark Horse: A Walt Longmire Mystery by Craig JohnsonThe Signal: A Novel by Ron CarlsonThe Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari StrachanInto the Beautiful North: A Novel by Luis Alberto UrreaIn the Sanctuary of Outcasts: A Memoir by Neil WhiteShanghai Girls: A Novel by Lisa SeeThe […]
S&S Reports: Down 20% Is the New Flat?
Simon & Schuster reported sales of $161.7 million for their fiscal first quarter, down 20 percent from $201.6 million a year ago (when the quarter was also down 12 percent in sales and 32 percent in income.) OIBDA evaporated to a slim $100,000, compared to $17.1 million a year ago, with an operating loss of $2.1 million, compared to operating income of $14.6 million a year ago. The company said “these decreases were driven by the revenue decline partially offset by lower expenses resulting from cost-saving initiatives.” CEO Carolyn Reidy says that the quarter started poorly and then improved. “In […]
Early Insights from BISG Conference
A few things to share from the Making Information Pay Conference this morning. Consultant Mike Shatzkin at the Idea Logical Company offered results from a survey and follw-up interviews conducted with 250 publishing people prior to the event looking at how sales channels are shifting in these challenged times. While everyone is seeing brick-and-mortar trade sales fall, there was “some questiona s to whether indies or chains are falling faster.” There was also “widespread agreement that library budgets cuts will affect publishers adversely,” whether or not that has shown up in industry statistic yets. They “did see much more gloom […]