The NYT’s first-ever e-book bestseller lists will appear in print on February 13 and online on February 11 (reflecting rankings for the week ending January 30), as the paper previewed for publishing people at an event this morning. Not only will the paper publish a separate e-book list, but there will also be a hybrid print and e-book bestseller list. A spokesperson said the paper “wanted to provide more comprehensive lists of which books are selling.” Unlike USA Today’s approach, the hybrid lists give no indication of whether e-books outsell print editions; a note on their methodology says only that […]
Archives for February 2011
Today’s Theme: Glimmers and Hints, Mostly Revealing Nothing (On Borders, Apple, Harper)
It’s happening all over. Yesterday News Corp. reported quarterly results, saying nothing about Harper Collins except that operating income declined from $68 million a year ago (see story below). Borders spokesperson Mary Davis tells the Cleveland Plain-Dealer nothing: “Borders understands the media interest in its situation but will not comment on theoretical, suggested or rumored outcomes to this process. Once the terms of any arrangements are finalized, Borders will make an appropriate announcement.” In case you were unclear, “Our goal is to have a strong Borders for the long term.” CPD Agree Realty, which has leases for 14 Borders locations, […]
Bookstore News
Diane Cox has bought Whittier, CA’s The Little Old Bookshop and will reopen it this week as Half Off Books. Item Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse in La Cañada Flintridge, Calif., will re-open Monday in an expanded location. The store will have an Espresso Book Machine and host events.La Canada Online But The Muses Bookstore in Morganton, NC is closing after 40 years, calling the rise of ereading the “last nail” in the coffin. Item And Seattle bookshop Twice Sold Tales will relinquish its store in the city’s University District and sell books exclusively online.Seattle P-I
Harper Underperforms, But Claims A “Good Quarter”
Now buried in the News Corp. newspaper-dominated publishing segment, HarperCollins merits one clause in the company’s quarterly earnings report: income for the publishing division was held back “by lower contributions at HarperCollins.” In a brief statement, the publisher itself claims victory for having giving corporate more than they promised, regardless of comparisons to a year ago: “HarperCollins had a good quarter, exceeding its plan. The children’s division did extremely well, thanks to the Justin Bieber memoir, as well as two titles by Lauren Conrad. Sarah Palin’s America by Heart and Steve Harvey’s Straight Talk, No Chaser also performed well in […]
People, Etc.
Lia Ronnen joined Artisan Books as executive editor and associate publisher. She was executive editor at Melcher Media for 10 years. Millicent Bennett will join Free Press as a senior editor on February 22. She has been at Random House for the past 3 years. Digital Book World community leader Guy Gonzalez is leaving F+W Media at the end of the month. Matt Mullin, who worked on DBW among his assignments, will move over from the F+W events team to serve as DBW community relations/marketing manager. In the UK, Sam Humphreys will leave Picador to become publisher of the Serpent’s […]
IPA Officer Under Attack In Egypt
The International Publishers Association reported in an e-mail this morning that the organization’s vice president Ibrahim El Moallem “is under attack, physically,” right now. “Ibrahim says that the people on the street have gathered before his publishing house, Dar El Shorouk. They are defending him.” The IPA will post bulletins via @ipasecretary on Twitter.