UK-based WH Smith reported headline sales results for the past 20 weeks consistent with their recent pattern: High-street sales were down 5 percent (both overall and on a same-store basis), while their network of travel stores was also down 5 percent (but only 4% on a same-store basis). But they say they “delivered a good profit performance,” and at the High-street stores “gross margin improved strongly in the period.” Note the pattern in our previously clipped stories for the past year: – WH Smith Comps Down 4% (and 5% At High Street Stores) | clipped Wednesday, November 14, 2012 – […]
Archives for January 2013
Book News: A Lahiri Novel, Algonquin’s Teen Line, Adaptations and ALA Award Candidates
Pulitzer Prize winner for INTERPRETER OF MALADIES Jhumpa Lahiri‘s THE LOWLAND–her second novel after THE NAMESAKE–will be published on September 24 by Knopf (and by Bloomsbury UK). It’s the second book in their deal from 2006, reportedly for $4 million. The Fox Network has ordered a pilot for an adaptation of Lauren Oliver‘s DELIRIUM. Bookseller Mitchell Kaplan’s Mazur/Kaplan Company is executive producing with Chernin Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television, with the pilot written by executive producer Karyn Usher wrote the pilot which Fox just approved. In the day’s most unusual adaptation news, Hilary Mantel’s Booker-winning duo WOLF HALL and BRING […]
People, Etc.
David Boyle will join HarperCollins on February 4 in the newly created role of svp, Consumer Insight, reporting to chief digital officer Chantal Restivo-Alessi. In his new role Boyle, formerly svp, Insight for EMI Music, will work with all divisions of HarperCollins globally to incorporate consumer insight and better understanding of consumer behavior into the company’s main practices – from acquisition to sales. “David’s extensive experience in consumer insights makes him a valuable asset to HarperCollins,” said Restivo-Alessi in a statement. “As digital becomes a greater part of our business, we have to better understand our consumers. Having David join […]
Legal: Iowa Extends Free Speech Protection to Internet Publishers
The Iowa Supreme Court overturned a 2010 ruling in which the lower court judge proclaimed “Author Solutions is not the New York Times.” In the legal sense, the two entities are now the same. The Iowa high court determined that internet publishers–even those that are paid for their services–qualify for free speech protection. Their definition of protected media now includes “any person or company that receives writings and makes them ‘more suitable and accessible for the public to read.'” As the Des Moines Register reports, “ASI and media companies had asked the court to strike down a legal doctrine known […]
eNews: Random Joins MyiLibrary, Book Scout (Officially), and Total Boox
Ingram will add over 36,000 titles to their MyiLibrary ebook platform in February from Random House, Inc. as well as the publisher’s distribution clients. As we were first to report last Friday, Random House formally announced their new Facebook app Book Scout, which launched last week. Random’s svp digital marketplace development Amanda Close says in the press release, “By creating BookScout, Random House is helping to encourage conversations about books on Facebook, and broaden the social discovery of books in the digital space.” Mashable covers the early beta of Total Boox, which lets users download entire books for free, and then […]
Courier Rebounds In Printing, But Not Publishing
Courier Corporation announced an improved first fiscal quarter: For the period ending December 29, sales rose 3 percent to $64.8 million and profits of $2.4 million were up considerably from $1.5 million a year ago. Digital printing sales rose “on continued growth of customized versions of college textbooks as well as increased use of digital printing among specialty trade publishers.” Their publishing division continues to suffer, as sales fell 3 percent to $9.1 million. The unit’s operating loss was $1.1 million, an improvement only by comparison to the loss of $1.3 million a year ago. The company expects sales to […]