Houghton Mifflin Harcourt reported first quarter results, with sales of $220 million, down $2 million from a year ago. EBITDA was a negative $15 million, a $9 million improvement from a loss of $24 million in the first quarter of 2017. The operating loss for what is typically their worst quarter was $87 million, also $9 million better than last year’s loss of $96 million, which they attribute to “changes in net sales, cost of sales, and selling and administrative costs.” Sales at the small trade division were up about $200,000, to $36.74 million, with negative EBITDA of ($837,000), compared to ($422,000) a year […]
Archives for May 2018
Sales News: Comey, Gaines, McNamara and More
The NYT’s mistaken account that James Comey’s early sales for A HIGHER LOYALTY had “dwarfed” those of Michael Wolff’s FIRE AND FURY from January is quickly put to rest by Bookscan’s updated tabulation for the sales week ending April 29. After two weeks on sale, Comey has recorded sales of approximately 446,000 hardcover copies through the service, while Wolff’s book was counted at more than 544,000 hardcovers sold after two weeks and 3 days on sale. But that’s not even the most notable sales news this week. Joanna Gaines took the No. 1 spot overall with recorded opening week sales […]
People, Etc.
National Endowment of the Arts chair Jane Chu will step down on June 4 after 4 years. Elle Keck has been promoted to associate editor at William Morrow/Avon. Mike Salisbury has been promoted to literary agent at Yates & Yates. Chi Ming Publishing in Taiwan has appointed Eccles Fisher Associates as its UK scout. A BuzzFeed article highlighted Kensington’s efforts to diversify romance publishing, with an emphasis on senior editor Esi Sogah, art director Kris Noble, and author Alyssa Cole, the African-American trio behind the book An Extraordinary Union. Sogah credits president Steven Zacharius with the company ethos of “try it and see what […]
Amazon Says Over 1 Million Modest-Sized US Businesses Are Sellers; Opposes New Seattle Employee Tax
Is Amazon killing businesses around the country or enabling the creation and growth of new businesses — or could it be both? The company responded to charges that they are hollowing out traditional retailers and the communities they help sustain with a Small Business Impact Report. Previously Amazon has provided only a worldwide number for third-party sellers on their platform — more than two million — but the new study says there are “more than a million” US-based small- and medium-sized businesses sell through the site. Of those, over 300,000 just started selling on Amazon in 2017. And, going back […]
Orange’s There There Tops June Indie Next List
The ABA named Tommy Orange’s novel There There its No. 1 pick for June. The rest of the list: The Word Is Murder, by Anthony Horowitz Florida, by Lauren Groff A Place for Us, by Fatima Farheen Mirza Shelter in Place, by Nora Roberts Invitation to a Bonfire, by Adrienne Celt Convenience Store Woman, by Sayaka Murat Southernmost, by Silas House MEM, by Bethany C. Morrow Rising, by Elizabeth Rush Visible Empire, by Hannah Pittard The Death of Mrs. Westaway, by Ruth Ware Who Is Vera Kelly?, by Rosalie Knecht The Book of Essie, by Meghan MacLean Weir The Optimistic Decade, by Heather […]
May Barnes & Noble Picks
A day behind the other retailers, Barnes & Noble posted their best new fiction list for May, which includes: Love and Ruin, by Paula McLain By Invitation Only, by Dorothea Benton Frank The High Tide Club, by Mary Kay Andrews The Cast, by Danielle Steel Beach House Reunion, by Mary Alice Monroe The Judge Hunter, by Christopher Buckley Warlight, by Michael Ondaatje The High Season, by Judy Blundell Adjustment Day, by Chuck Palahniuk A Shout in the Ruins, by Kevin Powers