Canadian “book, gift and specialty toy retailer” Indigo reported results for their fiscal second quarter, ending September 26. Sales rose 5.4 percent, or $11.2 million, to $216.9 million (CA) for the quarter, driven by “continued double digit growth in the general merchandise business, and growth in the core book business enhanced by the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” which balanced the downward sales slide of adult coloring books. Total book sales were up 5.1 percent (3.8 percent in superstores and 4.9 percent in small format stores) on a same-store basis, though they operated one less superstore and two fewer small-format stores than […]
Archives for November 2016
Potter and Education Lift Lagardere Publishing
Lagardere reported third quarter results, with the publishing division reporting “a strong quarter with double-digit growth,” based on a few gifts: They gained from publishing the Harry Potter play script in the UK and export territories, and from “the effects of curricular reform in France,” plus the unit continued to benefit from a strong dollar and the acquisition of the Perseus imprints. Perseus looks to have added €18 million in the quarter (after contributing €22 million in the second quarter), with the acquisition of Neon Play in the UK adding modestly to results as well. But the continuing decline in the British […]
People
Former chief sales and marketing officer at Workman Walter Weintz has joined Guinness World Records as vp, publishing sales, Americas, Publishing Trends reports. They also note that Frank Autunnale has left his position as vp, finance at Hachette Book Group. Mindy Stockfield will join Scholastic on December 1 as svp, marketing, creative and multiplatform, trade publishing, report to trade president Ellie Berger. Most recently Stockfield has been svp of marketing at MTV, prior to which she was vp, marketing and digital media for the Hyperion adult trade book division. At Ten Speed Press, Ashley Lima is promoted to senior art director. At Sourcebooks, Beth […]
IDPF Members Approve Plan to Merge with W3C
Earlier this week, the members of the IDPF (International Digital Publishing Forum) approved the plan to merge with the larger W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), by a vote of 72 to 10 (with 44 members not voting). The organization notes that, “The plan will now proceed, with anticipated completion of the combination by January, 2017 still subject to finalization of the necessary definitive agreements.” They add, “Much work remains to be done on drafting and executing final documents necessary to effect the planned combination, as well as undertaking other transition activities contingent on that completion. IDPF expects to share more […]
People: Thien Wins Giller Prize
Madeleine Thien won the Giller Prize for her novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing (Norton/Knopf Canada), which was shortlisted for the Booker and also won the Governor General’s Prize for Fiction. Thien will receive $100,000 (CA) along with the prize. Christine McNamara has been appointed to the new position of vp, marketing strategy at the Penguin Publishing Group. Previously she was vp, partnerships & content marketing at Penguin Random House’s consumer marketing development group, which announced its own round of promotions: Katherine McCahill moves up to vp, director, partnerships, consumer events, and apps; Lilly Kim is promoted to director, partnerships; […]
A Mixed Quarter for Harper, As Profits Rebound On Declining Sales
HarperCollins’ parent company News Corp. reported fiscal first quarter results on Monday after the close of the market, with mixed results for the book publishing unit. Sales of $389 million were down $20 million from the first quarter a year ago — blamed on the “the absence of revenues from Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee,” which they now say generated $32 million in sales in fiscal Q1 2016. Note, however, that this time a year ago, adjusted sales declined $7 million even with strong sales for Watchman, so the bar was set low. (Then they blamed the dropoff in […]