Jeff Gomez has joined Byliner as head of author services. Previously he was vp, online consumer sales and marketing at Penguin. Rachel Vogel has joined the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency as an agent, where she will continue building her list of upmarket and literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, and memoir. She was most recently an agent at Mary Evans Inc. Amazon Publishing senior editor David Moldawer has left the company to work as director of business at education company creativeLIVE. At Crown Publishing Group, Candice Chaplin has been promoted to imprint sales director, and Jacqueline Lebow has been named imprint sales director, publishing brands […]
Archives for March 2013
Extra Week in Fiscal Year Boosts Books-A-Million’s Full-Year Sales and Profits
Books-A-Million reported fourth quarter and full year results Wednesday afternoon, which reflect an extra added week that happens once every six years in the company’s reporting cycle. After four straight quarters of sales gains, BAMM saw a small decline (0.8 percent) at $165.6 million compared to a year ago. Same-store sales continued their pattern of quarterly declines, down 6.1 percent, though net income, at $8.1 million for the quarter was up from the $7.6 million reported during the same period last year. For the year, net sales increased 7.5 percent to $503.8 million (from $468.5 million, though based on a […]
Newsmaking Authors: Malala Yousafzai to Tell Her Story, and Amanda Knox April Release Remains On Track
Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban after her public advocacy for education for girls, is telling her story in a book that multiple Hachette imprints will publish, starting this fall, we can report exclusively. I AM MALALA will tell in her own words what happened the day she was shot, and share the inspiring story of her determination not be intimidated by extremists and recount the support of her family, which bolstered her remarkable courage. (A co-author will be named later, though Yousafzai first attracted international attention for her once-anonymous blog, […]
Reuters’ Sources Say Penguin Random House Merger to be Approved by EU
Two people have gone ahead and leaked that the European Commission will approve the Penguin Random House merger with no requirement of any concessions on or before their stated deadline of April 5. An EC spokesperson declined to comment. The deal has already been cleared in the US, Australia and New Zealand. Canada has been the most quiet investigation so far, with no stated deadline (they won’t even acknowledge publicly that they are reviewing the deal).
People, Etc.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has promoted evp of corporate affairs Mary Cullinane to the additional new role of chief content officer. She will “spearhead the company’s content development strategy for the K-12 education market and consumer audiences” and “develop the next generation of digital solutions while continuing to leverage the company’s existing products and iconic brands.” Caroline Riordan has joined Penguin as digital business director. Most recently, she was at Trailer Park, an entertainment marketing and content agency, and prior to that she was senior manager of ebooks and business development at Hyperion. Ann Treistman is joining Countryman Press as senior editor, looking […]
Penguin Sues Supposed Online Library (Again) for Posting Full Books
Penguin has refiled a lawsuit against nonprofit “online library” American Buddha for posting full copies of their books online. They originally sued the site in New York federal court in 2009, but the court said it did not have jurisdiction over the site, so the new suit was filed in a Portland, OR federal court. The action began with the discovery in 2008 of a full copy of E.J. Kenney’s translation of “The Golden Ass” on American Buddha’s site. The suit, which asks for an injunction as well as damages, cites the posting of other books such as Upton Sinclair’s OIL! and […]