Little, Brown has made public the jacket for JK Rowling’s novel THE CASUAL VACANCY, publishing September 27. The length is now listed as 512 pages, and apparently Little Brown UK erroneously listed the character Barry Fairbrother as Barry Fairweather in the original press release. The audio edition will be read by actor Tom Hollander.
Archives for July 2012
Angry Robot Tries Free eBook Bundle for UK Indies
As part of the UK’s Independent Bookseller week, Angry Robot has announced a small pilot for a program they hope to extend to other stores. Working just with Mostly Books in Oxfordshire for now, they are going to give away a free–and DRM-free–ebook edition (called the Clonefile) with each in-store purchase of a physical paperback. “This Clonefile means that customers at Mostly Books can buy Angry Robot’s books and enjoy them in whatever format they prefer, whether physical or electronic…. A dual-format offering for Indies seems like a natural extension of our customer-first ethos and a great way for Angry […]
People: Don Linn to Run Chicago Distribution
Donald Linn will take over as director of the University of Chicago Press’s Chicago Distribution Center, replacing the recently retired Donald Collins, starting July 16. Linn was owner and ceo of Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, and most recently worked with Firebrand Associates in their consulting division. University of Chicago Press director Garrett Kiely says, “He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this position. The CDC does a great job of serving the needs of its clients and the market, and Don will help to position us for the future.” UK sales and marketing head of DK Catherine Bell will become […]
Houghton Pitches Digital Deals and Potential IPO to Financial Press
As indicated in their bankruptcy documents, now that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has cleansed their balance sheet they are hoping to prepare for a sale of shares to the public. Thus begins a campaign to woo the financial press, with stories today in both the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal. CEO Linda Zecher tells FT she hopes they can pursue an IPO “over the next 18 to 24 months.” After the unsuccessful effort to sell the small trade division in 2009, Zecher says its place is secure: “What we can gain from trade is far greater than [the benefits […]
People, Etc.: Bloomsbury Buys Appled Visual Arts
Bloomsbury has acquired Switzerland’s Applied Visual Arts Publishing for approximately £1.73 million in cash in three annual installments. The company publishes 20 to 30 books a year by academics for students and professionals in the applied visual arts and recorded sales of £1.82 million in 2011. Bloomsbury’s head of visual arts Kathryn Earle will run the line as part of their Academic & Professional division. The company promises synergies with other recent acquisitions such as Fairchild Books and the forthcoming Fashion Photography Archive as well as the existing Berg and Visual Arts list. Indiana University has established a new Office of […]
eNews: Kobo Confirms Japan Launch; Amazon Brazil Tipped for Q4
Firming up reports from June, Kobo has formalized their July launch dates in Japan: The Kobo Touch device is available for pre-order as of today with a full ebookstore, with more than 2.4 million ebooks plus additional Japanese-only content, ready by July 19 on parent company Rakuten’s website. The e-reader will be priced at 7,980 yen including tax (or $100 USD). Amazon, reported to have been in negotiations with Japanese publishers for three years, is running a banner on its Japanese site saying that Kindle “will be on sale soon.” Also coming to a slow boil is Amazon’s Brazilian store, […]