Thanks to everyone who was written or posted for all of the kind PublishersMarketplace anniversary wishes. One of the nice things about building and maintaining a unique set of industry resources is that we can generate all kinds of long-view data and analysis. (You’ve seen this from time to time with our charts of deal stats and assessments of publishers that garner the most full-length book reviews.) One core coverage area of ours that we’re quietly proud of even though it’s not particularly glamorous to traditional journalists is what we call People. Long ago we made thorough tracking of job […]
Archives for November 2013
Small Demons to Close If No Buyer Emerges
In perhaps another sign of the disconnect between conference veneration of the new and shiny and the daunting challenges of building a scalable business around new uses of other people’s content, California-based Small Demons has indicated to publishers in a letter cited by the Bookseller that it will cease operations on November 25 unless a buyer emerges. Backed by approximately $2.4 million in equity funding and additional borrowings, Small Demons aims to “connect all the details of books,” extracting the people, places and things mentioned — including songs, movies, food, cars, fashion items, and more. The company says that a planned sale […]
Amazon Courts Independent Retailers With Kindle Sales Program
Amazon’s ongoing attempt to convince independent retailers to sell Kindle devices and ebooks persisted a little bit more with the formalization of program under the name Amazon Source. The company touts Source as a way for “independent bookstores and other retailers to sell Kindle devices and accessories, and earn money while doing so” through programs tailored for small businesses. At least two bookstores in Washington state, the University of Puget Sound Campus Bookstore and JJ Books, tested out Amazon Source in a pilot program. Source presents two options to retailers: Buy Kindle devices at a 6 percent discount and earn a […]
Harlequin Continues To Slide
Canada’s Torstar reported results for the third quarter, with both sales and profits down again to book publisher Harlequin. Sales of $100.6 million (CA) were down $7.2 million (-6.7%) and operating profit of $13.3 million was $5.2 million lower than a year ago (-28%). The book unit has modest “restructuring and other charges” in the period of about $750,000. Digital comprised 25.2 percent of third quarter sales, compared to 20.3 percent a year ago, “largely reflecting growth in overseas digital revenues.” Looking forward, the company says “with revenues weaker than anticipated through the first nine months of the year, Harlequin’s […]
Sales Fall At Indigo, Which Suspends Dividend to Drive Store Renovations
Canada’s Indigo reported sales of $179 million for their fiscal second quarter (ending September 28), down 3.3 percent overall, and a bigger net loss of $10 million, compared to $4 million a year ago. Same-store superstore sales were down 2.8 percent, while comps at their smaller-format stores declined 8.2 percent. Modest online sales of $18.7 million were $600,000 higher than a year ago. The company says it is happily undergoing to a transition to a broader type of retailer. CEO Heather Reisman tells shareholders, “We have developed a bold vision to become a booklovers’ lifestyle company — optimizing our core […]
People, Etc.: Coady’s Story Collection Wins Giller
Lynn Coady‘s story collection Hell Going won the Giller prize on Tuesday night. Published in Canada by House of Anansi, it was the one book in contention that did not already have an announced US publisher. She was shortlisted in 2011 for THE ANTAGONIST, published in early 2012 by Knopf. Coady’s US agent Christy Fletcher told us that they “have serious interest and expect to close soon” on US rights for HELL GOING. Michael Signorelli will join Holt as senior editor on November. He has been at Harper Collins for over 8 years. At Holt he will focus on crime […]