Yesterday’s Lunch dispatch misstated the nature of The Paris Review’s excerpting of Roberto Bolano’s novel THE THIRD REICH, which FSG will publish near the end of the year. The magazine is, in fact, serializing the book over four consecutive issues, with the final installment to be released in the first week of December. This is the first time in forty years that The Paris Review has serialized a novel. Editor Lorin Stein tells us the full novel will be published by FSG in mid-December, but the publisher’s fall catalog currently lists a November publication date, and director of publicity Jeff […]
Archives for February 2011
Hocking to Make the List: Three Times
When USA Today told us in our Monday report that they were “keeping a very close eye on the rapidly developing e-book marketplace” and “actively discussing how [their] list ought to evolve to reflect changes in publishing,” they really meant it. In advance of tomorrow’s new bestseller list for the week ending February 6, the paper writes today that self-epublished sensation Amanda Hocking will have three of her YA paranormals appear on the list for the first time–all among the top 50 titles. This comes as the NYT ebooks bestseller list debuts for the public with an exclusion for self-published […]
Briefs: New Eugenides Novel; Excerpts of New Bolano and Gov. Patrick Books; and More
Jeffrey Eugenides‘ first novel in nine years (and his first since the Pulitzer Prize winner MIDDLESEX) will be published by FSG in October. Catalog copy describes THE MARRIAGE PLOT as “a brilliant, funny, and heartbreaking novel about the glories and vicissitudes of young love”, with the 576-page novel priced as a $28 hardcover. FSG will also publish Roberto Bolano‘s previously undiscovered manuscript THE THIRD REICH in November, with an excerpt running in the spring issue of The Paris Review – the first time the magazine has excerpted a novel in nearly 40 years.WSJ In his forthcoming memoir, Massachusetts Governor Deval […]
Sales Grow But Indigo Profits Still Drop in Third Quarter
Third-quarter performance at Canada’s retailing giant Indigo looks reminiscent of Barnes & Noble’s trajectory, with ebooks, ereaders and online sales helping to lift sales while also weighing on expenses. Indigo’s revenues rose 14 percent to $387.6 million (CA), beating projections, but net profit of $30.2 million (or C$1.19 a share) was $4 million lower than a year ago, which was less than analysts expected. Superstore comps increased 2.6 per cent while smaller-store comps dropped 0.8 percent from last year’s levels, and the company’s online division was up 6.5 percent from a year ago. As with the previous quarter, digital investments […]
Powell’s Lays Off 31 Staffers, Citing the “Unprecedented, Rapidly Changing Nature” of the Book Industry
On Tuesday Powell’s Books laid off 31 staffers, or approximately 7 percent of its unionized work force, at its stores in Burnside and Beaverton and two industrial warehouses, a move they cite as a response to the “unprecedented, rapidly changing nature of the book industry.” In a statement Powell’s cited “changing consumer behavior” – namely, the rise in e-book sales – as causing a significant impact over the past three years, along with “an industry-wide decline in new book sales, rising healthcare costs, and the economy.” President Emily Powell stated “I feel it is critical to make some very difficult […]
The Potential Costs of Borders’ Unpaid Bills
With Wiley’s $9 million writedown last Friday of money owed to them by Borders that they do not expect to collect, it’s clear that the bookseller’s troubles are going to hit balance sheets even before the possibility of hitting bankruptcy court. Most of the coverage since we first reported in late December that Borders was not paying major creditors has focused on the largest publishing companies, but with a second month of non-payment we wanted to look at how the impact of Borders current inability to pay their bills might be felt across a much wider group of publishers. Since […]