Add the estate of Catherine Cookson to the growing number of authors selling digital backlist titles directly (and, in this instance, exclusively through Amazon in the US and UK.) The author’s literary representatives at Sheil Land formed a separate company, Peach Tree Publishing, which will sell 91 Cookson titles as ebooks priced between $1.50 and $5.99. Cookson’s agent Sonia Land engages in some mutual controversy-starting with the Daily Mail by saying she never informed Cookson’s print publishers Transworld or Simon & Schuster of the ebook plan: I haven’t told either firm about the deal and I am sure they are going […]
Archives for March 2011
BAMM Enters New Credit Agreement As Executives Add Stock
Books-A-Million stock hit a 52-week low last week on the heels of disappointing fourth quarter and annual earnings, following a pattern similar to Barnes & Noble’s though less dramatic. Shares fell more than 8 percent on Friday, closing at $4.10 a share, and were down 20 percent in the three days after their earnings report. A number of company executives added shares at the bargain price of a penny per share according to a series of SEC filings, by exercising options. CEO Clyde Anderson led the group, adding 116,840 shares, boosting his total holdings to more than 1.8 million shares. The […]
Lunch Weekly for Monday, March 28
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 Mary Curran Hackett’s PROOF OF HEAVEN, in which a single mother […]
Borders Asks Court to Authorize $8.3 Million in Executive Bonus Payments
In papers filed last week, Borders asked a federal bankruptcy court to authorize as much as $8.3 million in bonus payments to company executives – including up to $1.7 million to CEO Michael Edwards. Seventeen executives are covered by the largest bonus program, which could add between $4.7m and $7.1m, while a second $1.2 million bonus program covers 25 “director-level” managers that court papers say are “critical to the debtors’ reorganization and to ongoing business.” The company said that 70% of its top executives have been with Borders for 18 months or less, and that bonuses were not paid at […]
People, Etc.
Derry Wilkins has joined Sourcebooks as publicity manager, children’s & YA. Previously she managed children’s publicity for Sterling. Nancy Fish has joined Cleis Press/Viva Editions as marketing and publicity manager. Previously she was a marketing manager for the Harvard Bookstore and assistant executive director of NEIBA. The Romance Writers of America announced their RITA Award finalists, with the winners to be named on July in New York at their annual convention. Full list Douglas & MacIntyre Publishers will relocate its Toronto office on March 28 to 130 Spadina Avenue, Suite 405, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 2L4. Phone numbers and email […]
HMV Confirms Waterstone’s Is For Sale, As Rumors of a Management Buyout Swirl
Weeks of speculation about the future of Waterstone’s after parent company HMV let investors know that it might violate banking covenants – not to mention the possibility that founder Tim Waterstone and minority shareholder Alexander Mamut are interested in buying the chain — has led to today’s announcement that yes, Waterstone’s is on the block, its fate potentially decided in the next four weeks. “In response to press speculation, the board confirms it is exploring strategic options in respect of Waterstone’s and HMV Canada,” HMV said in a statement. “The board also confirms that no discussions are taking place with respect to […]