Ken Auletta dramatically “reports” a portion of that which already happened–the emergence of Apple as a seller of ebooks and the introduction of the agency model–and he and the magazine’s vaunted fact-checking department join the ranks of those who misconstrue the economics of publishing. This one is a whopper, erasing all the margin in hardcover publishing by misunderstanding how returns work: “Traditionally, publishers have sold books to stores, with the wholesale price for hardcovers set at fifty per cent of the cover price. Authors are paid royalties at a rate of about fifteen per cent of the cover price. On […]
Archives for April 2010
Quiet London Book Fair Opens As Those Who Made It Worry About Getting Home
The London Book Fair officially opened today to lighter crowds and many empty booths as a result of the extraordinary air travel restrictions due to the spreading cloud of volcanic ash from the eruption in Iceland. UK airspace was closed throughout the weekend, and according to the latest update it will remain closed at least until 1:00 am local time on Tuesday. For all those who were triumphant in getting over to London in time for the fair, now comes the substantial question of when they’ll be able to return home. (In the meantime, Bloomsbury Press publisher Peter Ginna recounts […]
People, Etc.
Ayesha Pande has officially announced the change of what’s left of Collins Literary to Ayesha Pande Literary, now with a new mailing address and web site as well. Westwood Creative Artists agent John Pearce is relocating to Victoria, BBC in May 2010, where he will establish a new presence for the agency. Pearce also become a shareholder in the company. Curtis Brown svp Emilie Jacobson, 85, died April 14 “after a short illness.” A brief notice says “a fall memorial service is to be announced.” Emily St. John Mandel remembers Jacobson at The Millions. Kendra Harpster is joining the Random […]
Lunch Weekly for Monday, April 19
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 Zoetrope All-Story Short Fiction Contest winner Bernie McGill’s first novel THE […]
International Book Fair Hopes Diminish As British Airways and Virgin Cancel Saturday Flights
The hopes of getting to the London Book Fair if you aren’t already there are fading as flight cancellations have spread to Saturday, for many people the primary travel day to arrive prior to the opening of the three day book show. In a Saturday morning update, British airspace is officially closed at least until 1:00 PM Sunday (local time). Even prior to that announcement, on Friday the nation’s top carrier British Airways had already canceled all flights in and out of London for all of Saturday, as had their smaller competitor Virgin Atlantic. Ryanair, which connects London to much […]
UK Further Extends Flight Delays, But Book Fair Is On Regardless
Disruption of the London Book Fair due to the spreading cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland has been upgraded to a “significant” deal as some international attendees hope for the best and others are giving up. The latest official word as of this morning from the UK’s Met Office (via the web site at NATS) is that the airspace over England and Wales remains closed until at least 7 AM Saturday, London time. As of 7 PM tonight, restrictions are being lifted over “a large part of Scottish airspace.” So people planning to fly Saturday night or Sunday still have […]