Sweden’s largest bookseller Akademibokhandeln has been sold to industrial group Volati, which purchased control from Accent Equity (along with acquiring minority stakes from a group of companies, including publisher Natur & Kultur). With 108 stores, Akademibokhandeln is said to comprise 35 percent of Sweden’s book sales. The group had sales last year of approximately $208 million, with ebitda of over $14 million. Though the purchase price was not disclosed, the press release says the chain has an enterprise of about 760 million Swedish krona, or about $88 million. BookNet Canada released their annual survey on the state of digital publishing […]
Archives for June 2017
Harper Bolsters International Management
As part of the expanding global publishing program set in motion by the acquisition of Harlequin’s operations around the world, HarperCollins ceo Brian Murray announced changes to the international leadership team “to align our structure with our strategy to realize our ambitious foreign language growth plans.” Murray adds that, “This central structure will allow me to work more closely with the international teams to ensure we are investing appropriately and hitting all the targets necessary for growth in the non-English markets.” EVP, International and chief digital officer, Chantal Restivo-Alessi will now oversee the general management and operations of all foreign language publishing. […]
People, Etc.
Kathy Schneider has joined the Jane Rotrosen Agency as agent after more than 25 years in publishing, most recently as svp and associate publisher at Harper Collins. Dorothy Vincent has joined Trident Media Group as director of foreign rights. Previously, she was director of foreign rights for Janklow & Nesbit, where she worked for 22 years. Mary Keeley has departed Books & Such Literary Management, where she was an agent since 2010. She plans to pursue opportunities outside of the publishing industry. Laura Antonacci joins Chronicle Children’s as marketing director. Previously, she was the senior marketing manager for Random House. Author/artist of over 40 books for children Geoffrey Hayes, 69, died unexpectedly […]
People, Etc.
The AP has their Book Expo round-up piece, recapping some of the politically-focused events and high-profile fall titles. But attendees “also speculated about Book Expo. Square footage for the show has shrunk noticeably in recent years and the large gaps on the convention floor at times gave Book Expo the look of an idled factory. Publishers have wondered for years whether the convention was necessary in the Internet Age, when deals once negotiated at BookExpo are now accomplished online.” Awards Karan Mahajan won the NYPL Young Lions Fiction Award for The Association of Small Bombs. Obituaries Avie Bennett, 89, former […]
Next, The July Buzz Books Monthly
With the recent successful launch of our two Buzz Books 2017 Fall/Winter collections, we continue our monthly sampler program with the release of July Buzz Books Monthly, available for download on Amazon, iBooks, and NetGalley. Offering consumer-friendly excerpts, and including a comprehensive preview that highlights hundreds of notable forthcoming titles for the month listed by category and then week by week, positive reviews from readers have already begun: (“Once again an exceptional choice of extracts/previews! Everyone should download these each time they come out – it’s great to see everything that it is due for publication all in the same place. It […]
More June Bookseller Picks
Adding to yesterday’s bookseller recommendations for June, Barnes & Noble posted their best new fiction list for the month, featuring: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, by Arundhati Roy The Identicals, by Elin Hilderbrand The Duchess, by Danielle Steel Seven Stones to Stand or Fall: A Collection of Outlander Fiction, by Diana Gabaldon Little French Bistro, by Nina George Kiss Carlo, by Adriana Trigiani The Chalk Artist, by Allegra Goodman Rich People Problems, by Kevin Kwan The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid The Sunshine Sisters, by Jane Green And the iBooks store has listed their 25 category […]