Apple reported fiscal first quarter sales after the close of the market on Monday, for the period ending December 28. With record sales of 26 million iPads in the quarter, they have now sold approximately 198 million tablets since the launch of the line in 2010. They sold a record number of iPhones as well, 51 million units, in the period — but investment analysts had convinced themselves the company would sell closer to 57 million iPhones. Which makes the report a “disappointment” for Wall Street, despite better than expected profit of $13.1 billion (but a softer forecast than analysts […]
Archives for January 2014
Abrams Announces eBooks for Libraries
At the ALA meeting in Philadelphia, Abrams announced that their frontlist ebooks are now available for libraries to purchase and lend, through the established vendors. Each “sale” activates the ebook for a year of lending, on the one-copy/one-user model. Abrams says they are selling to libraries at their standard digital list price. They are also offering “a full catalog of backlist” titles, so the program includes the Diary of Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. Abrams ceo Michael Jacobs says in the announcement, “We’ve been eager to fulfill library requests for both our frontlist and backlist e-books and are thrilled […]
Another Successful Winter Institute
The ABA’s 9th annual Winter Institute in Seattle last week once again drew a sellout crowd of more than 500 enthusiastic booksellers, with almost 40 percent of attendees — and 60 bookstores — present for the first time. Those independent booksellers had reason for optimism, as ceo Oren Teicher said at the first of two rep picks’ luncheons on Wednesday. After showing an 8 percent gain in sales at ABA stores in 2012, “we have held on to virtually all of those gains in 2013,” Teicher noted. (In a follow-up email, Teicher explained he kept his statistics “somewhat vague overall” […]
People, Etc.
Global digital director for Penguin Molly Barton will leave the company to accept a faculty position at Wesleyan University and to consult for NYC- and Silicon Valley-based publishing-related start-ups. Barton also founded and led Book Country at Penguin, and day-to-day operations and activities will continue to be managed by Brandi Larsen. At St. Martin’s Press, April Osborn and Elizabeth Poteet have been promoted to assistant editor, while Kelly Quinn moves up to assistant editor at Tor. Koehler Books and Linden Publishing will be distributed by Ingram Publisher Services. Poets & Writers’ newest in-depth career interview with a trade publishing person […]
Awards: DiCamillo Wins Newbery, Floca Takes Caldecott
The ALA presented their many Youth Media Awards this morning on the closing day of their winter meeting in Philadelphia. The Newbery medal went to Kate DiCamillo for FLORA AND ULYSSES (Candlewick), and the Caldecott went to Brian Floca for LOCOMOTIVE (S&S Children’s), which he wrote and illustrated. DiCamillo won the Newbery previously for her 2003 novel, THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX (and her BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE was a Newbery Honor Book). Among other honorees, Marcus Sedgwick won the Michael L. Printz Award for MIDWINTER BLOOD (Roaring Brook Press) and Markus Zusak won the Margaret A. Edwards Award for “significant and lasting contribution […]
eBook Sales Grew Less for Biggest UK Publishers, Too
The Bookseller elicited some 2013 ebook sales information from the UK’s five largest trade publishers. The article shares only partial data points, but it seems to reflect what we have seen more clearly in data from a much larger group of publishers in the US — that growth in marketwide ebook sales in revenues has slowed considerably. (Also note that in the US, the AAP consistently measures publisher sales in dollars only, not units.) For these UK publishers, ebook unit growth remains stronger than revenue growth. The Bookseller shows unit sales at Penguin Random UK; Hachette UK; Harper UK; Pan […]