Amazon’s editors have posted their top books of January: See How Small, Scott Blackwood West of Sunset, Stewart O’Nan Sweetland, Michael Crummey Leaving Before the Rains Come, Alexandra Fuller Black River, S.M. Hulse The Train to Crystal City, Jan Jarboe Russell The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins The First Bad Man, Miranda July It Was Me All Along, Andie Mitchell Golden Son, Pierce Brown The Secret Wisdom of the Earth, Christopher Scotton
Archives for January 2015
2014 In Print Sales: Units Rose on Final Holiday Push, But Bestseller Dollars Fell Significantly
A late holiday shopping push lifted seasonal book sales, putting print book sales as measured by Nielsen Bookscan for the last four weeks of the year at approximately 96 million units, up 6 million books or 6.7 percent compared to the same period in 2013. (Over half of the gain came in the final week of shopping.) For the full year, Nielsen Bookscan recorded sales of 635 million units across the outlets that they cover (comprising an estimated 80 percent of the print book business), up a modest 15 million units or 2.4 percent from the previous year, thanks in […]
The Biggest Show of the Year
Convening next week from January 13 through January 15 at the New York Hilton, Digital Book World is certainly the biggest show of this new year and given our best-ever lineup of speakers, it could stand for a while as the year’s premier conference. Right before the holiday break we noted the addition of Keith Moerer, who manages the iBooks Store business for Apple worldwide, as the final keynoter on Wednesday. Alongside Kindle executive Russ Grandinetti that gives DBW conversations with top executives from the two largest ebookstores. Those main stage keynotes also feature top publishing executives (Harper ceo Brian Murray; HMH […]
Sales Rise at Penguin Random House — Thanks to Foreign Exchange
The most important development you didn’t read about in anyone’s year-end or 2015 preview pieces is the precipitous fall in the value of the euro. Earlier on Monday the central European currency hit a 9-year low against the dollar. The decline, which started in the middle of 2014, has gained steam over the last two weeks and analysts are quickly revising their predictions for further drops during 2015. With a round of quantitative easing still expected from the European Central Bank and Greece once again considering the possibility of leaving the euro zone, Euro weakness is expected to continue. What […]
Briefs: Shandler to Run New Morrow Line, Zuckerberg’s Year In Books, and More
Former Little, Brown editorial director Geoff Shandler joins William Morrow tomorrow as vp, editorial director for the nonfiction portion of “a new line of eminent nonfiction and literary fiction” that the division is launching. Liate Stehlik says in a memo the new line “will seek to investigate, inform, entertain, and inspire conversation, highlighting both established bestselling authors as well as introducing talented new voices.” Facebook ceo Mark Zuckerberg made a very public resolution to read a new book every two weeks throughout 2015, “with an emphasis on learning about different cultures, beliefs, histories and technologies.” Under the banner of A Year […]