News Corp disclosed in its quarterly 10-Q report on Friday that HarperCollins acquired Thomas Nelson for $200 million, and that the deal took place in October. The number is less than half the $473 million former owner InterMedia paid for Thomas Nelson back in 2006. The filing also disclosed that HarperCollins is now subject to 23 different consumer class action suits filed in New York and California relating to purported anti-trust issues and the use of the agency model by the six largest publishing houses. The defendants, including HarperCollins, filed a motion with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to […]
Archives for November 2011
BN Introduces the $249 Nook Tablet, Takes Multiple Shots at the Kindle Fire
You would think the drama would have been taken away from Barnes and Noble’s presentation of their new Nook devices Monday morning in New York, following the thorough (and completely accurate) leaking of that information last week, as we reported on Friday. What’s most important is that BN answered the lingering question of “can they really compete with Amazon?” with a clear indication that they have come to play. What’s more, and unlike previous Nook presentations, the gloves are clearly off and every aspect of Monday’s presentation focused on why BN believes they have better devices and “incredible values” that take Amazon head […]
People, Etc.
Katie Henderson Adams has joined Liveright & Company as editor, where she will acquire literary fiction and non-fiction. Previously she was an editor at Other Press. Daniela Petracco has been named editorial director of Europa Editions UK, which will launch in January with eight titles. Working out of their newly established London office, she will manage publicity operations, marketing and sales, working to build Europa Editions’ market and relationship with booksellers in the UK and Ireland. Petracco spent the past ten years as an agent with Andrew Nurnberg Associates. Multiple sources indicate that Bookish quietly laid off as many as […]
Remarkable
We’re delighted to acknowledge one of those marvelous moments that you never see coming, but you’re always thrilled when they occur: PublishersMarketplace.com is 10 years old. As always, our greatest thanks go to you, our members and subscribers; we exist to serve the community that supports us. Second on the list is our founding webmaster, still at the helm of this ever-growing codebase, Michael Macrone. It is a little strange and very gratifying to travel the journey from idea to institution before one’s very eyes. The simple idea ten years ago was to create a community center online, for publishing […]
Eugenides, Patchett and Fey On PW’s 2011 Top 10 List
PW named their Top 10 books of 2011: Fiction The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides (FSG) The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock (Doubleday) State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (HarperCollins) After the Apocalypse by Maureen McHugh (Small Beer) There but for the by Ali Smith (Pantheon) Nonfiction Bossypants by Tina Fey (Reagan Arthur Books) Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie (Random) Hemingway’s Boat by Paul Hendrickson (Knopf) One Day I Will Write About This Place by Binyavanga Wainaina (Graywolf) Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens (Twelve)
Agents Express Concern Over Kindle Lending Library
As we reported yesterday afternoon, many of the trade publishers with books included in Amazon’s new Kindle Lending Library did not consent to that participation and therefore had neither notified nor consulted with agents in advance about the program and its terms. (At least some of those companies specifically declined Amazon’s earlier offer to participate.) The Association of Authors’ Representatives has issued a statement on the new initiative: “The agent and author community have not been consulted about this new sort of use of authors’ copyrighted material, and are unaware of how publishers plan on compensating authors for this sort […]