Random House vp digital publisher and product development Andrea Sheehan has founded and become ceo of Rock-it Global, Publishing Trends reports. Former Knopf executive vp Tony Schulte, 82, drowned on Sunday while swimming near the summer home in Rangeley, ME he shared with his wife, literary agent Liz Darhansoff. He began his career at Simon & Schuster before moving to Knopf in 1968. After leaving publishing in 1986, Schulte spent four years as managing director for book publishing at Veronis, Suhler and Associates and then in 1996 he co-founded GSL Publishing Associates with David Lamb and Richard Gallen. In noting […]
Archives for June 2012
Barnes & Noble Results Disappoint Again, But Bookstore Comps Are Up 4.5 Percent
Barnes & Noble continues their string of earnings disappointments with fourth quarter sales and losses that were not as good as either the official analyst estimates or the Wall Street “whisper numbers.” The chain recorded fourth quarter sales of $1.38 billion, only $5 million more than a year ago, and a consolidated net loss of $57.7 million, or $1.08 per share. For the full fiscal year, sales of $7.1 billion rose just 2 percent and the consolidated net loss was $68.9 million, or $1.41 per share. As you would expect, shares are trading down this morning on the missed targets, […]
Fourth Quarter Sales and Profits Boosts Wiley’s Modest Overall Full-Year Earnings
Sales at Wiley rose 2 percent to $455 million in their fiscal fourth quarter and adjusted earnings rose 73 percent to 80 cents a share. For the full year, revenue was up 1 percent to $1.783 billion, while adjusted earnings rose 11 percent to $3.21 a share. (That amount excludes a 12 cents per share tax reserve release originally recorded as part of its Blackwell acquisition, and a 10 cents per share Borders writedown dating to the previous fiscal year.) In the professional/trade division, sales rose 4 percent to $114 million for the quarter (including $3.3 million of revenue from […]
Forthcoming: Deluxe Edition of Paolini’s INHERITANCE; Godin’s THE ICARUS DECEPTION, Funded by Kickstarter
Christopher Paolini finished his Inheritance trilogy which turned into a four-book “cycle,” but Knopf Children’s still has more volumes on the way. They will publish a deluxe edition of the final book INHERITANCE on October 23, priced at $29.99 in hardcover and $15.99 in ebook formats. The deluxe edition will include “never-before-seen artwork by Christopher Paolini; an exclusive, full-color foldout poster by award-winning artist John Jude Palencar; a letter from Jeod, one of Eragon’s confidantes, summarizing life after the final scene of the series; a letter from Paolini to fans reflecting on the series, and a new scene within the text.” […]
Auletta Revisits Agency, With Mix of Interviews and Confusion
In this week’s New Yorker, Ken Auletta looks at the agency ebook cases. The piece draws on interviews with John Sargent and the leadership of Hachette Book Group, so now we know that when Sargent decided to go with the agency model at 4 in the morning on his exercise bike, Auletta tells us he was “pedalling furiously.” Lagardere Publishing chief executive Arnaud Nourry says, “I would have liked to convince DOJ we did not misbehave.” But “it’s a waste of time and a diversion for management. We’re a small company compared to the big guys, like Apple and Amazon.” […]
Microsoft Tablet Announcement Expected Today; Nook’s Role Is Unclear
Microsoft is convening “a major announcement” in Los Angeles at 3:30 local time (or 6:30 Eastern) at a location that will not be unveiled to invited press until some time this morning. (Preliminary invitations went out only last Thursday.) They are expected to announce a Windows tablet of some kind, and presumably the LA-venue is telling for a strong emphasis on entertainment. Barnes & Noble’s Nook–in which Microsoft now owns a minority stake–will undoubtedly have at least a presence on a Microsoft tablet. From there the extent of the involvement is currently unconfirmed, with some rumors indicating the new tablet […]