Amazon has launched a “reimagined weekly bestseller list” that combines data from across all of their formats — print, ebook, and digital audio. A new Top 20 Most Read list aims to show “what customers are really reading and listening to by looking at the average number of daily Kindle readers and Audible listeners” (of course they have no data on print readers). A companion Top 20 Most Sold list does include print sales data as well (and they still count pre-orders and sales together). On the downside, the “sold” list still has Amazon’s own thumb on the scale, counting digital products […]
Archives for May 2017
Potter and FX Lift Bloomsbury’s Sales, But Not Profits
Bloomsbury reported results for their fiscal year, ending February 28, with sales of £142.6 million, up £18.9 million, as profit before tax fell £1 million to £12 million. Despite their intention “to become primarily a non-consumer publisher in the B2B academic and professional information market,” Bloomsbury is still very much Harry Potter House. Virtually all of the gains came from their children’s division, where sales rose £18.2 million to £55.9 million — as Potter sales were 88 percent higher than the previous year — and the weak British pound was the other main driver. (Topline sales were up 15 percent, but […]
People, Etc.: Hely Hutchinson to Retire, and More
Tim Hely Hutchinson will retire as ceo of Hachette UK at the end of the year, with Little Brown Book Group and Orion ceo David Shelley to succeed him, reporting to Arnaud Nourry, starting January 1, 2018. He will also become a member of the international board of Hachette Livre and a director of Hachette Book Group USA. Nourry said Shelley is “an outstanding publisher and he will be an inspiring and inspired ceo.” Additionally, Jamie Hodder-Williams, currently ceo of Hodder & Stoughton, John Murray Press, and Headline and Quercus, will add the new role of director of trade publishing of Hachette UK […]
Buzz Books and Book Expo Schedule
We had a great launch of our two new Buzz Books samplers yesterday, the ultimate preparation for Book Expo and the fall publishing season, with the latest editions cracking the top 100 at both iBooks (where they are being featured) and Amazon. Or get the “trade editions,” directly from PM as EPUB files and from NetGalley, where both the adult and YA books always top their most-downloaded lists and generate hundreds of positive reviews of your forthcoming titles. And keep the #buzzbooks2017 tweets going to bring attention to many of your big fall titles and authors. Today we have the second piece […]
People, Etc.
Allison Moore has joined Bloomsbury Children’s as editor. Previously, she was associate editor at Little, Brown Children’s. At Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Megan Wilson has been promoted to associate director of publicity; Hannah Harlow moved up to director of marketing; and Liz Anderson is now marketing manager. Jennifer Leight will join Hollan Publishing as editor next week. Previously, she was executive editor at Rodale. Ann Jansen will join Penguin Random House Canada as producer of audio books, starting June 5. Most recently, she was senior producer for Canada Reads and CBC Books. Carina Nunstedt will join Harper Nordic as publishing and marketing director on September 4, reporting to managing director […]
Northwestern Student Sues Harper and Author Kipnis Over Unwanted Advances Book
A Northwestern University graduate student filed a Jane Doe lawsuit in an Illinois Federal Court on Monday against author Laura Kipnis and publisher HarperCollins over the publication of Unwanted Advances. The suit alleges counts of public disclosure of private facts that “were not of legitimate public concern,” false light invasion of privacy, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The filing claims that Kipnis wrote the book “in part, to retaliate against plaintiff for her filing of a Title IX complaint against her colleague [Peter] Ludlow and for her subsequent complaint against Kipnis.” Saying that “Kipnis had a clear motive to […]