Harlequin has joined its new corporate parent HarperCollins in signing on with ebook subscription service Scribd, entering into a one-year agreement to provide 15,000 backlist titles. Unlike many previously announced deals, however, Harlequin has made Scribd their “exclusive subscription partner.” Featured bestselling authors include Debbie Macomber, Robyn Carr, Susan Wiggs, Heather Graham and Shannon Stacey. Scribd will also be making the full Harlequin catalog available for individual purchase in the Scribd retail store. “Harlequin prides itself on being an innovator in the digital space, so I am thrilled that this partnership with Scribd will help us to meet our readers where they […]
Archives for October 2014
Corporate: PRH Finalizes Objetiva Purchase; Amazon’s WriteOn Beta; Authors Guild Met with DOJ; Core Source Adds Print Metadata
On October 1, Penguin Random House completed their acquisition of Brazilian trade publisher Objetiva, the final piece in their acquisition of the Santillana trade publishing business (the rest of which closed on July 1). As previously announced, CEO of Companhia das Letras Luiz Schwarcz will also oversee Objetiva, and Roberto Feith continues as general director. Amazon’s coming “new reader-powered publishing program” that was reported on a little over a week ago is called WriteOn by Kindle, Laura Owen discovers. The tag line on the beta site is, “Making good stories great and great stories better.” Access for now is by invitation code. An email […]
People, Etc.: Feldman’s New Agency, and More
Leigh Feldman has left Writers House to start her own agency, Leigh Feldman Literary, as of October 1. Prior to Writers House, she was a partner at Darhansoff, Verrill, Feldman for 20 years. Feldman says the timing “felt very right” to go out on her own. Anne Heltzel has joined Abrams as editor, primarily acquiring books for its middle grade and teen imprint, Amulet Books. She worked previously as an associate editor at Razorbill and is also a published author. Jeremy Greenfield is leaving his position as editorial director of DigitalBookWorld.com to join The Street as contributors editor, where he will help manage […]
Amazon Publishing Is Firm No. 2 At Kindle Store
Amazon Publishing vice president Jeff Belle reported in his September 2014 update letter that in the US, In the US, “Amazon Publishing now ranks as the #2 publisher on the Kindle platform, based on paid copies (this means royalty-generating copies, and includes books sold a la carte, or through programs such as Kindle Unlimited or the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library).” Presumably that means only Penguin Random House sells more ebooks through the Kindle store. (Note carefully this applies to ebooks only.) Kindle Unlimited likely plays a strong role in those counts. As we have shown through multiple analyses of the Kindle […]
October Picks from Amazon and Costco, December Releases, and More
Amazon’s best books of the month for October features Being Mortal by Atul Gawande as their Spotlight pick for the month, and Lena Dunham’s Not That Kind of Girl as the Featured Debut. Here are the other picks for month (including another Publishers Lunch Buzz Book you can sample right now, by Marlon James). The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, Hilary Mantel Nora Webster, Colm Toibin The Innovators, Walter Isaacson A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James The Invisible Front, Yochi Dreazen Bad Paper, Jake Halpern The Remedy for Love, Bill Roorbach Prince Lestat: The Vampire Chronicles, Anne Rice Leaving Time, Jodi Picoult […]