The issues between publishers and libraries over the purchase and lending of ebooks are complicated and nuanced, and depending on how one wants to frame the reporting, you could see a session at the AAP’s New York office featuring ALA president Maureen Sullivan on Thursday as conciliatory, inflammatory, or both. Perhaps the best takeaway is that it’s more productive for both sides to communicate with each other directly rather than through posted statements. A number of publishers (and the media) attended the AAP’s presentation and moderated discussion featuring Sullivan, who was joined by a number of other ALA officers and […]
Archives for September 2012
Poindexter Says Penguin Suit Was “The Last Straw” In Deciding to Sell MacAdam/Cage
We expected that there were some dots to be connected between Penguin’s suit against MacAdam/Cage over the ebook publication of Susan Vreeland’s Girl With Hyacinth Blue, and MacAdam/Cage founder and owner David Poindexter has now confirmed that in a reply to our queries. Poindexter was in contact with Penguin’s attorney last week regarding the suit, filed June 20, and was told “they do intend to proceed with the suit.” Poindexter says by e-mail, “This was the last straw that made me decide to sell. There are many, many good people in publishing, but I have had my fill of the […]
Quercus Sees Larger Than Expected Larsson Decline, As Digital Grows
The UK’s Quercus reported results for the first six months of 2012, with “a predicted decline in the overall contribution from the Larsson franchise” registering “in a contribution…that fell short of our expectations” and is expected to continue. Sales of £9.24 million were down £2.7 million from a year ago, with £2 million of that gap attributed to lower Larsson receipts. (By our reckoning that means “underlying” non-Larsson sales declined about 7 percent.) Pre-tax profit suffered more, at £.6 million, compared to £3.4 million a year ago. Management reiterates that “Over the past few years we have been reinvesting our […]
People
Mark Krotov will join The Overlook Press as associate editor on October 1. Previously he was an assistant editor at FSG. Nebraska Book Company has hired Bill Zeuch as svp of merchandising and marketing, effective October 3. He is the former svp of merchandising, marketing and sales new channels at Office Max, where he worked for 8 years. Phyllis Bruce is resigning from HarperCollins Canada after more than 20 years with the company, most recently as publisher of Phyllis Bruce Books, to “explore new opportunities.” Her last day is October 4. “It’s completely her decision, and we’re sad that she’s […]
Hachette Moves Quickly to Replace Faulty eBook File for The Casual Vacancy
Little, Brown reports that the ebook file for JK Rowling’s THE CASUAL VACANCY that the publisher provided US retailers on Wednesday had “issues,” including affecting “the adjustability of font color and size and adjustability of margins.” What that means, according to customer reports online, is that for many people the book displayed at a tiny font size that could not be adjusted. The company says that “as soon as Hachette was made aware of these issues, a replacement file was uploaded to all ebook retailers.” By customer accounts, and this report on PaidContent (with some screen shots), those issues made […]
MacAdam/Cage Puts Itself Up For Sale
After years of financial trouble San Francisco-based independent publisher MacAdam/Cage is up for sale. Founder and publisher David Poindexter indicated to Shelf Awareness the 14-year-old company “doesn’t have the resources to continue publishing properly for the long term” and that the ideal purchaser would be “someone like myself 15 years ago, with the drive, commitment and resources who wants to get involved in the literary landscape in America on the publishing side” and who could take over “where we leave off.” The sale announcement comes one week after we reported on a June 20 lawsuit filed by Penguin against MacAdam/Cage […]