Bloomsbury reported results for the first six months of their fiscal year, through August 31, as yet another good sales period for Harry Potter titles drove higher sales for the company. Revenues of £72.1 million were up from £62.7 million a year ago. Children’s trade sales rose approximately £7.9 million, to £31.7 million, as Harry Potter revenues rose 40 percent. Adult trade was just below flat at £13 million (down £0.4 million). Despite the sales growth, profit still lags. While better than the same period a year ago, profit before tax was £1.7 million. Release Separately, the court has posted […]
Archives for October 2017
People, Etc.
Noah Eaker will join Flatiron Books as editorial director, reporting to Amy Einhorn, starting November 13. He has been executive editor at Random House. Jessica Williams has been promoted to senior editor at William Morrow. Sarah Armstrong has been promoted to client relations manager at Ingram Publisher Services. Vogue talks to Ghost, the “real-life New York book editor” who helps the writing staff of TV show Younger “understand the arcane workings of book publishing. “Ghost has worked in the industry since the ’90s and has published books that you definitely know by title. His list includes a blue-chip White House memoir, another […]
People, Etc.
Whitney Frick will take over as editorial director of The Dial Press on December 4, reporting to Susan Kamil. She has been executive editor at Flatiron Books. Becca Putman joins the Crown Publishing Group as marketing manager for Crown, Hogarth, Tim Duggan Books, and Broadway Books. Most recently she worked in Grove Atlantic’s marketing department. Steve Fischer will retire as executive director of the New England Independent Booksellers Association when a successor is found. He has been in the position since 2006. President of the board Laura Cummings says, “While we all wholeheartedly wish Steve well in his upcoming retirement, […]
We Are the World English World
Two interesting articles offer views on changes in the worldwide market for English-language books, and they are both about Amazon. In one, the NYT looks at the book market in Australia, where Amazon will arrive with full force shortly. (They have had an Australian Kindle store since 2013.) Long protected by both laws and oceans, independent bookstores had approximately 26 percent of Australia’s book business in 2015, according to Nielsen figures. Everyone puts on a brave face in the article, but competition is coming: “In interviews with more than a dozen booksellers, authors, independent publishers and lawyers specializing in copyright, two […]
People, Etc.
Publisher of Tarcher Perigee since 1996 Joel Fotinos has decided to leave the company. (He also founded the Putnam Praise publishing program in 2006.) Penguin Publishing Group president Madeline McIntosh writes to staff: “From his early days at Tarcher and throughout his career here, he has always been focused on publishing books that strive to make the world a better place, and as much as we will miss him, I know you will join me in supporting his decision to take that mission beyond our walls.” Avery publisher Megan Newman will become publisher for Avery and Tarcher Perigee, though the imprints will […]
People, Etc.
Daniel Nayeri, Nathalie Le Du, and Colleen AF Venable are leaving Workman Children’s to start a new imprint at Macmillan Children’s. They will serve as publisher, editorial director, and creative director, respectively. Nayeri says, “Our new imprint will be a collaboration of makers in the communal pursuit of creating art objects for great and terrible children.” (That line, which sounds cute but doesn’t actually mean anything, is a direct repeat of what he said when he joined Workman in 2013 — though at the time, he said it in both English and French.) He will report to Macmillan Children’s president […]