Media Matters is worked up that the New York Times bestseller list charts Laura Ingraham’s THE OBAMA DIARIES as nonfiction “even though it is clearly a fictional creation.” But Sam Tanenhaus uses the MILLIE’S BOOK defense, and says “there seems to be a history on the best-seller list that if a book deals in a direct way with politics and campaigns or current events then it has been historically listed as non-fiction.” He adds, “we do see books of this nature and you do not dignify them by calling them fiction. In the end, it is a kind of political […]
Archives for August 2010
Sales and Profits Rise at Simon & Schuster
Sales at Simon & Schuster were up 4.5 percent in their fiscal second quarter, ending June 30, at $189.7 million an $8.3 million increase from a year ago. Adjusted OIBDA was up more, by 65%, at $16.9 million, compared to $10.3 million a year ago, and adjusted operating income rose to $15.2 million. The company cited “growth in digital content sales and the strength of best-selling titles in the second quarter of 2010, including Spoken from the Heart by Laura Bush and Women Food and God by Geneen Roth.” Though the sales gains may seem relatively small, it’s the largest […]
Barnes & Noble Board Agrees to Look at “Strategic Alternatives” As Market Decides the Company Is In Play
With its stock trading persistently low, Barnes & Noble’s board of directors has effectively given in to the pressure brought by activist shareholder Ron Burkle and larger market forces following their recent earnings disappointment in announcing that it “intends to evaluate strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of the company, in order to increase stockholder value.” The board concluded that the company’s shares–battered in the past month in particular–“are now significantly undervalued.” The plain-English translation is that the company has agreed to put itself in play conceptually, and on Wall Street the line between concept and reality here is infinitesimally […]
People: FSG Adds Scientific American Imprint, and More
Farrar, Straus is launching an imprint under the Scientific American name, with Hill and Wang publisher Thomas LeBien running the new line as well. They will publish “a select number of titles that extend Scientific American’s 165-year tradition of bringing the insights and developments in science and technology to the widest possible readership.” Scientific American is also part of parent company Macmillan. Amanda Johnson Moon joins FSG as senior editor on August 9 and will oversee acquisitions for the new imprint. She has editing freelance after working at Basic Books. Norton has hired Peter Kay for the new position of […]
People: Painton In Revised S&S Role, and More
Simon & Schuster publisher Jon Karp says that the imprint’s editor-in-chief Priscilla Painton will take the new position of vp, executive editor, focused on major nonfiction titles. He writes in the announcement that “when Priscilla and I began discussing how to make the best use of her time and talent, it became clear to both of us that her passion is for finding great writers and working closely with them to create compelling books. In taking on this more purely editorial role, absent administrative responsibilities, she will be able to apply her considerable abilities exclusively to acquisitions and editorial work.” […]
Daily Kindle: 20 Percent of eBooks Go to App-Only Customers; New Units Have Inactive Microphone; New Ad Contest
Amazon Kindle vp Ian Freed tells CNet in an interview that 20 percent of the Kindle books sold are to customers who do not own a Kindle reader. It’s the first time the company has given any indication of the size of their app-only business. Freed adds, “we see a lot of customers start with apps and buy a Kindle later.” On ebook market share, he confirms that you can’t trust percentages cited by any of the vendors–Apple, BN, Sony or Amazon itself–since none of them actually know how much business their competitors are doing, or the size of the […]