Lynne Missen will join Penguin Canada as publishing director of children’s books on January 31. She has been executive editor at Harper Canada Children’s. Pamela Paul has been named children’s book editor for the New York Times Book Review, starting today. She is a journalist and book critic, the author of three nonfiction books, and is a columnist for the NYT‘s Style section. Her new position with the NYTBR is part-time. Pamela Clements has joined the United Methodist Publishing House as associate publisher for Abingdon Press’s Christian fiction program, and a new Christian Living line that debut in the spring of 2012, […]
Archives for January 2011
ABA Identifies Markets Where Independent Retailers Do Best
A study backed by the ABA looked at over 300 metropolitan areas in the US to see where independent retailers perform the best. The top 15-ranked markets are: 1 Ocean City, NJ 2 Bellingham, WA 3 Medford, OR 4 Carson City, NV 5 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 6 Barnstable Town, MA 7 Austin-Round Rock, TX 8 Dalton, GA 9 Harrisonburg, VA 10 Gainesville, GA 11 Glens Falls, NY 12 New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA 13 Lewiston, ID-WA 14 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 15 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Download complete results and analysis
The UK Reckons with More Trouble at HMV/Waterstone’s and British Bookshops
HMV announced earlier this week that it may face difficulties meeting its credit covenants, which come due in April, and the company enlisted KPMG to help renegotiate terms. Separately, the Guardian reported that at least one credit insurance company removed their coverage a week ago for all goods supplied to HMV. Analysts reignited the facile running five-year-speculation on whether Waterstone’s will be put for sale, even though it doesn’t really fix anything . Disposing of the bookstore chain “would let [HMV] clear the decks to play another day,” analyst Nick Bubb told Bloomberg. “The danger is, they don’t sell Waterstone’s, […]
Because It’s Friday: Sacha Baron Cohen to Adapt Alleged Saddam Hussein Novel
Sacha Baron Cohen will star in a movie version of the 2000 novel supposedly written by Sadam Hussein–or ghostwriters working under his direction–published as ZABIBAH AND THE KING. The Cohen version, filmed by Borat director Larry Charles for Paramount, will be retitled The Dictator. As the Guardian recounts: “The book charts the chaste love affair between a medieval monarch and the soulful Zabibah, who lives unhappily with her abusive husband. But what appears, at first glance, to be a sweet, simple folk tale actually contains pools of hidden meaning. It was intended to be read as an allegory for Iraq […]
People, Etc.
At becker&mayer!, as of April 1 Jim Becker will serve as president and publisher of the book packager, including overseeing SmartLab and other educational initiatives, while Andy Mayer will focus on new business development as publisher of Epic Ink, which produces high-end collectible books, and director of becker&mayer! productions, which develops and delivers innovative book-related products directly to retailers. Anna Erikson has joined The Creative Company as vp of retail sales to manage the Creative Editions and Creative Paperbacks imprints. Previously she was at Chronicle Books as director of distribution client services. At Harlequin, Emily Rodmell has been promoted to […]
Courier’s Results Slide, But Profit Forecast Is Raised On “Positive Currents”
Sales at the book publishing unit at Courier fell 7 percent in their fiscal first quarter, ending December 25, at $10.8 million, but ceo James Conway III says “there were positive currents at work” and they “look forward to a stronger spring throughout the segment.” After a long decline due to the housing recession, Creative Homeowner sales rose 7 percent, and Dover increased online sales even while declining 3 percent overall. Courier’s larger printing business also declined–but with increases in their digital printing, the company increased full-year profit expectations anyway by five cents a share. Overall, sales for the quarter […]