Apple reported fiscal fourth quarter results for the period ending September 28 after the close of the market on Monday. The company sold 14.1 million iPads in the period, just barely ahead of sales in the same quarter a year ago, with strong iPhone sales of almost 34 million units. They have sold approximately 172 million iPads since the launch of the line in 2010. Sales rose to $37.5 billion, as net profit fell $700 million to $7.5 billion. Lagardere has concluded a long-running dispute with Vivendi over the valuation of their stake in Canal+ France. In a compromise, Lagardere will […]
Archives for October 2013
People, Etc.
Suzanne Herz has been promoted to evp, executive director of publishing at Doubleday, continuing to report to Tony Chirico, who in the announcement deemed her “a driving force behind some of our most successful publishing campaigns” for the likes of Dan Brown, John Grisham, and others. Former Crown deputy publisher Michael Palgon has joined Open Road as svp, distribution & business development. He will lead their distribution arm, powered by Ingram, which launched with Albert Whitman and Ed Victor’s Bedford Square as clients. Palgon will also “build new editorial verticals including religion and business.” Mary Ann Zissimos has joined Disney […]
Everything Amazon and A Lot More
There’s a lot of discussion about Amazon in the wake of Larry Kirshbaum’s departure from the publishing division in January (much of it completely wrong, as we noted Friday), and following the release earlier this month of Brad Stone’s book THE EVERYTHING STORE. January’s big fifth annual Digital Book World conference will feature a prominent morning block of presentations and discussions about Amazon on its second day. Stone will be among the presenters and analysts, with sessions including a close look at Amazon’s financials, and insights into their less-publicized inroads into library and educational markets. Those timely panels are just […]
Ruckus Is Sold
Ruckus Media has found some refuge with mobile app company KiwiTech, which is acquiring a 75 percent stake in the digital children’s media company that has struggled to find a lasting business model. Ruckus founder and ceo Rick Richter will depart following the sale, though he will continue to serve as an advisor. Chief content officer Jason Root will move up to ceo of Ruckus, reporting to KiwiTech ceo Rakesh Gupta. The company’s Wilton, CT office will close, yet Ruckus will still “remain Connecticut based.” Venture capital firm Alsop Louie Partners, which led a $3.5 million series A funding round […]
People
As reported Friday afternoon, longtime Amazon veteran Daphne Durham has already been assigned Larry Kirshbaum’s responsibilities as publisher for Amazon’s trade publishing lines, in advance of his departure on January 17. Durham has been editor-in-chief of Amazon’s adult publishing imprints for the past year. In the UK, Charlotte Greig is joining Open Road as a strategic advisor for acquisitions, reporting to publisher Tina Pohlman. Greig will acquire backlist titles and help form partnerships with UK publishers. Currently a consultant, Greig was previously an editor at Picador UK. Blaise Bace has been named associate director of online marketing for HarperCollins, effective […]
Kobo Kleans Up
Well reported is an email from Kobo chief content officer Michael Tamblyn to authors in their self-publishing program Kobo Writing Life, providing an update on their now-completed review and cleansing of their title catalog. “The review had to happen fast, and we didn’t enjoy it, but with our esteemed 300-year-old retail partner on the front page of major newspapers and some content clearly in violation of our posted standards, we needed to move quickly.” Tamblyn makes clear, “For those few titles that remain unavailable, some feel that we chose a path of censorship. All I can say is that if […]