After months on the block, with a number of bidders dropping out and an asking price that nobody wanted to meet, RCS is officially selling French publisher Flammarion to Gallimard — the front-runner all along — for 251 million Euros, nearly 50 million below that original asking price. Reuters reports that RCS will receive about 230 million from the sale, and will post a consolidated gain of 88 million euros. The deal is expected to close in September. A number of publishers met with the European Commission in Brussels Tuesday to call for the streamlining of taxes on ebook purchases […]
Archives for June 2012
People, Etc.: Nora Ephron Dies
Screenwriter, filmmaker and author Nora Ephron, 71, died Tuesday night in a Manhattan hospital from complications of the blood disorder myelodysplasia, diagnosed six years ago. She was equally known for writing and directing films such as SILKWOOD (1983) WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989) and, most recently, JULIE AND JULIA (2009) as she was for her journalism and books, among them the novel HEARTBURN (1983) and essay collections CRAZY SALAD (1975), I FEEL BAD ABOUT MY NECK (2006), and I REMEMBER NOTHING (2010). “She brought an awful lot of people a tremendous amount of joy,” Ephron’s longtime publisher Knopf said in […]
Corporate: News Corp Considers Splitting Off Publishing Division; HMH Officially Exits Bankruptcy
Following on a widely cited report from the WSJ that News Corp was considering splitting off its publishing division — including HarperCollins — from the rest of its business, the company confirmed that “it is considering a restructuring to separate its business into two distinct publicly traded companies,” with the NYT adding that further news about the possible spinoff could come as soon as this week. While the move has been speculated about for several years, more seriously since the phone-hacking scandal broke open last summer, company ceo Rupert Murdoch has apparently and “recently warmed to the idea”, which would […]
People: Ruppel Appointed President of McGraw-Hill Education International; Perseus Closes Vanguard Press, Jones To Leave Running Press
President of McGraw-Hill Professional since 2007 Philip Ruppel has been appointed to the additional position of president for McGraw-Hill Education International as part of a restructuring of the company’s international business. “Adapting to the world’s changing educational and content needs is critical to the success of our education and professional portfolio, said newly appointed McGraw-Hill Education ceo Buzz Waterhouse in a statement. “We must continually evaluate our structures and processes to ensure we are serving our customers most effectively. We will be enhancing collaboration between U.S. and international operations and identifying new ventures such as education services that can expand […]
Group of Independent Publishers Object to Proposed DOJ Settlement
Hours before Monday’s midnight deadline to submit public comments on the Department of Justice’s settlement with three publishers on ebook price fixing, a group of independent publishers, including Grove/Atlantic, Norton, Perseus, Abrams, Chronicle Books, Chicago Review Press, New Directions, and Workman Publishing, submitted a joint letter to the DOJ objecting to the settlement terms as they “lack an adequate factual basis, are contrary to the public interest and should be rejected” on the grounds that it will “adversely impact competition.” The letter was sent on behalf of the group, banding together as the Independent Book Publishers, by Cravath, Swaine & […]
Awards: Massie, Enright Win Inaugural Carnegie Medal; Amazon’s Best Books of 2012 So Far
The ALA presented its inaugural Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction to Robert K. Massie’s Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (Random House) and Anne Enright’s The Forgotten Waltz (Norton). Amazon names its ten Best Books of 2012 So Far, leading off with Katherine Boo’s Behind the Beautiful Forevers (Random House), Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl (Crown) and John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars (Dutton Children’s) with additional choices in a variety of categories. Of particular note is that the release quotes newly installed editorial director for books Sara Nelson in what appears to be further definition […]