Bertelsmann will pay an undisclosed nine-figure sum to buy out the remaining 25.1 percent stake in magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr from Jahr Holding. The cash transaction is set to close November 1. Chief executive Thomas Rabe says, “We are following up [our] clear commitments to the television, book and music industries with another clear commitment to journalism.” G+J had sales of €2.1 billion in 2013, though sales were down almost €100 in the first half of 2014. Last Friday Ingram Content Group, opened a 50,000-square-foot print-on-demand printing and distribution operation in Fresno, CA. It’s their first facility in California. […]
Archives for October 2014
People, Etc.
Once again, the naming of the Nobel Prize for Literature laureate will align perfectly with the Frankfurt Book Fair: The Swedish Academy said the new honoree will be announced on Thursday. (The Peace Prize will follow on Friday.) In other awards, the Giller Prize will cull their longlist down to a shortlist by noon today. (Then, next week we get the Booker Prize ceremony on the evening of October 14, followed by the National Book Awards finalists on October 15.) After about 7 months at Regan Arts, Michael Szczerban will join Little, Brown on October 27 as executive editor, acquiring food […]
Amazon: NYT Public Editor Calls For More Balanced Coverage; Supreme Court to Hear Amazon Workers Lawsuit
On Sunday New York Times Public Editor Margaret Sullivan took issue with the paper’s coverage of Amazon and Hachette’s ongoing terms dispute, opining that the paper (and primarily its Amazon beat reporter, David Streitfeld) “has given a lot of ink to one side” and painted Amazon as “a literature-killing bully.” Addressing one reader’s claims that the coverage amounted to “propaganda,” Sullivan said: “‘Propaganda’ is a stretch, and Mr. Streitfeld has done plenty of solid work. But it’s certainly true that the literary establishment has received a great deal of sympathetic coverage.” Streitfeld and his editor Suzanne Spector told Sullivan they “strived […]
“Friends and Family”
We’ve already told you a little something about the outstanding line-up of speakers and sessions already coming together for our sixth Digital Book World Conference January 14 and 15 — and the return of our one-day Publishers Launch Kids event on January 13. (DBW keynoters include Russ Grandinetti, Brian Murray, Linda Zecher, Ken Auletta, Walter Isaacson, Seth Godin, and Hilary Mason — plus we’ve just added Judith Curr, NYT director of news analytics James Robinson, and education venture capitalist Matt Greenfield.) The simple point of today’s post is a reminder that the best, early pricing for the events expires October […]
Seth Godin Direct — and In Print Only
Author, entrepreneur and “ruckus maker” Seth Godin has unveiled his latest experiment in a long line of efforts to publish directly: His new forthcoming book WHAT TO DO WHEN IT’S YOUR TURN [And it’s always your turn] is available online for discounted direct, pre-order through October 8, while Godin closes his first printing. The trade paperback “full-color book in magazine format” is positioned as “focusing on our invented battle with fear and our obligation to do work that matters.” Put a different way, he is “taking the most powerful, personal messages of [his] blog and recent books, mixing them with evocative photos and […]
Dealmaking Is Strong and Steady Heading Into Frankfurt
Ahead of the Frankfurt Book Fair next week, it’s time for our annual look at pre-fair dealmaking trends. As usual, this version covers domestic (US) deal reports for September 1 through September 30, and we’ll append a short update next week to factor in October 1 through October 7. A year ago deal volume was up considerably over prior years, but that has leveled off and this September is in line with 2013, up by less 2 percent: We reported 603 US deals during the month, compared to 593 deals the same month a year ago. US September Deal Volume […]