USA Today has published their list of the top 100 bestsellers for 2011. As the only major list that has used combined print and ebook data for the entire year, they provide the best look at the true, overall bestsellers for the year. We wondered how much the inclusion of ebook sales changes the nature of the year’s top-selling books. The answer, in a word, is: barely. Below are comparisons of USA Today’s top 15 adult fiction and nonfiction books (with print and ebook sales combined; the actual USA top 100 rank is in parentheses) versus Nielsen Bookscan’s top 15 […]
Archives for January 2012
Nancy Pearl Partners With Amazon For ‘Book Lust Rediscoveries’ Series
Amazon announced Wednesday morning that noted former librarian and frequent NPR contributor Nancy Pearl will launch a new curated line under the Book Lust Rediscoveries banner, reissuing out-of-print books originally published between 1960 and 2000 that Pearl had previously recommended in her title Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment and Reason. Part of the Amazon Encore imprint, the series will republish up to six titles a year in digital, paperback and audiobook editions starting in April with Merle Miller’s A GAY AND MELANCHOLY SOUND (originally published in 1961) and then in June with Rhian Ellis’s AFTER LIFE (originally […]
Bookselling: Thalia Admits Big Drop In Earnings; Random House Extends Free Shipping; Two Fall Regional Shows Merge
Germany’s largest bookstore chain Thalia is facing the same challenges as major booksellers in English-speaking countries, with parent company Dougles reducing their forecast EBITDA for the current fiscal year by a range of 15 to 30 percent, driving shares down sharply. The company warned that they will incur unspecified “expenditures for restructuring at Thalia” and blamed “the structural challenges in the entire books sector” for the earnings reduction. One German analyst told Bloomberg the company needs to make clear the restructuring costs and “and in general has to provide solutions and measures to get rid of the structural problems at […]
Awards: Finalists for Man Asian Literary Prize, The Story Prize, and More
The 3 finalists for The Story Prize were announced Wednesday morning, with the winner to be named at an awards ceremony on March 21: Don DeLillo, The Angel Esmeralda (Scribner) Steven Millhauser, We Others (Knopf) Edith Pearlman, Binocular Vision (Lookout Books) The Jewish Book Award winners were named, including Simon Sebag Montefiore’s Jerusalem: The Biography as book of the year, with Aharon Appelfeld’s Until the Dawn’s Light winning the fiction award. These seven novels (instead of the usual five candidates) made the Man Asian Literary Prize shortlist: Jamil Ahmad, The Wandering Falcon (Penguin India/Hamish Hamilton/Riverhead), Pakistan Jahnavi Barua, Rebirth (Penguin India/Penguin Books), India Rahul Bhattacharya, […]
People, Etc.
Tin House Books editor and associate publisher Lee Montgomery is “leaving to pursue independent book projects and resume her own writing career.” She has been with Tin House enterprises since 2001. Editor-in-chief and publisher of Tin House magazine Win McCormack and magazine editor since Tin House’s inception in 1999 Rob Spillman will oversee the book program during the transition. The company promises that Tin House Books “will continue and expand its commitment to publishing the high-quality and unique books for which it has become known.” Loren Chaves will join Simon & Schuster on January 17 as national account manager for Levy […]
Random House Canada Becomes Sole Owner of McClelland & Stewart
Random House Canada has acquired the University of Toronto’s 75 percent share in McClelland & Stewart, making RHC the sole owner of the storied Canadian house. Apparently the University has handed over their interest, telling us in a statement that “the University is not receiving any financial compensation.” They write that “publishing is not a core business of the University of Toronto,” and that “the Canadian government has authorized the sale of McClelland & Stewart to Random House. As a result, UofT is able to divest itself of its shares in the company. The University has used its ownership position […]