Chairman and ceo of Perseus, Frank H. Pearl, died early Friday at age 68. He had been recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer. Pearl founded the Perseus Books Group in 1997 after investing in Counterpoint Press and Public Affairs and served as its chairman of the board. A longtime colleague of Pearl’s who has served on the publishing company’s board John Schwieters will fill his position as chairman of the board of Perseus Books. Perseus Books ceo David Steinberger wrote to employees today, saying: “Frank founded The Perseus Books Group with a vision for a different kind […]
Archives for May 2012
Significant BAMM Investor Gowda Says Buyout Undervalues Bookseller
Earlier this week when the Anderson family, which owns a majority stake in Books-A-Million, announced its intention to buy out all other shareholders and take the company private at $3.05 a share, the move was seen by analysts and investors as a lowball or “take-under” effort. At the time, minority investor Harsha Gowda of Blueshore Capital Management, with a 6.38 percent stake in BAMM, told us he would “have to postpone a discussion about this situation until after the proposed transaction occurs.” It seems he didn’t have to wait very long, based on a letter Gowda sent to Books-A-Million’s board […]
Trade Sales Up 22% In February, While eBook Sales Flatten Out (Sort Of)
The AAP reported sales for February, the second installment in their expanded Stat Shot tabulations. Though it doesn’t fit the narrative in the general and tech press, trade sales of $438 million were up 22 percent over last year’s revised count of $360 million, driven by a $58.5 million gain in children’s and YA (not doubt due in part to the major success of the Hunger Games books, which added 12.5 million units in print in the first three months of the year). Those sales were cleaner as well, with the absence of the big Borders returns a year ago […]
People, Etc.
Liz Egan has joined Amazon Publishing’s New York imprint as senior editor, focusing on fiction, memoir, and parenting. Previously she was the books editor at Self magazine for seven years. Tattered Cover manager of operations Neil Strandberg is joining the ABA’s staff in the new position of director of member technology. Relocating to New York, he starts on May 7. Eric Brandt has joined Yale University Press as senior editor, Humanities. He was most recently senior editor at Harper One. At Random House Children’s, Dominique Cimina was named director of publicity and corporate communications; Casey Lloyd and Elizabeth Zajac have both moved up to […]
Guild and Google Are Back Before Judge Chin, Arguing Over Class Status
Going on seven years later, Google and the Authors Guild are still squabbling over the basic of their lawsuit before Judge Denny Chin (who has otherwise moved on in his career, sitting on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals). Google is challenging the Guild’s new request for certification of the class, spurred by questions about the whether the proposed class could adequately represent the vast interests of different authors during arguments over the rejected settlement of the suit. Google attorney Daralyn Durie confirmed that they continue to negotiate with publishers and photographers, though a representative for the latter said “I […]
Richard Ford’s Canada Tops June Indie Next List
Here are this month’s picks: #1. Canada, by Richard Ford Heading Out to Wonderful: A Novel, by Robert Goolrick The Chaperone: A Novel, by Laura Moriarty The Yard: A Novel, by Alex Grecian The Watch: A Novel, by Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya Equal of the Sun: A Novel, by Anita Amirrezvani Gone Girl: A Novel, by Gillian Flynn Capital: A Novel, by John Lanchester The Green Shore: A Novel, by Natalie Bakopoulos Wallflower in Bloom: A Novel, by Claire Cook The Watchers: A Novel, by Jon Steele A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar: A Novel, by Suzanne Joinson Istanbul Passage: A Novel, […]