Barnes & Noble reported fourth quarter and full-year results Thursday morning, and once more the trendline for the company is decidedly downward. Sales for the quarter were $786 million, a decline of 4.3 percent from the prior year, while comparable store sales dropped 4.1 percent. Consolidated EBITDA was $6.7 million in the fourth quarter, as compared to $5.6 million a year ago. The company incurred a fourth quarter net loss of $21.1 million, or $0.29 per share, compared to a loss of $13.4 million, or $0.19 per share, in the prior year, factoring in a $7.7 million charge “associated with […]
Archives for June 2018
People, Etc.
Former editor-in-chief of Real Simple Kristin van Ogtrop will join Inkwell Management as a literary agent. She will represent memoir, biography, commercial women’s fiction, lifestyle and “big idea books driven by counterintuitive thinking.” Inkwell partners, Kimberly Witherspoon, Richard Pine and Michael Carlisle write: “Though Kristin was a terrifically successful magazine editor, we are certain that she was actually born to be an agent. Her experience with the written word and brand-building, along with her optimism and creativity, are the heart of her unique strengths and what will be the key to her flourishing in her new career.” Lindsey Schwoeri has […]
Despite Organizers’ Efforts, Bookseller and Librarian Attendance Fell at Book Expo
For years now as Book Expo has plainly diminished in actual scale — primarily show floor exhibition space and attendees — organizers have understandably shied away from much discussion of the core data, bringing to bear a series of efforts to “reimagine” the show and drive the best possible experience for those who do participate. (Including, perhaps, imagining that the show could be as big or as important as it once was.) But numbers are numbers, and we like to keep ours as straight and clear as possible. Show officials released some preliminary data about this year’s show. Because there […]
Westover’s Educated Tops Amazon’s Best Books of the Year So Far
As we anticipated last week in our mini round-up, Amazon has now issued their list of the 20 best books of 2018 so far, along with a package of selections across 12 categories. Eight of our nine guesses appear on the Amazon — they dropped the Sedaris — but their list only adds two other titles that had multiple votes from the other “so far” lists (by Denis Johnson and Francisco Cantu). Usually less than half of Amazon’s top 20 So Far make it to the top of their end-of-year Best Books list. Last 12 titles from the first half made the […]
People, Etc.: Cheiffetz Starts Atria Imprint, MIT Clears Diaz to Teach
Julia Cheiffetz joins the Atria Publishing Group today as vice president and publisher of a yet-to-be-named imprint, effective today. She reports to new group publisher Libby McGuire, The imprint “will draw on [her] unique strengths as an editor and her passion for publishing books that address issues of social import.” She has been executive editor at Dey Street Books. Christine Mykityshyn is joining Celadon Books as director of publicity. Most recently she was publicity manager at Random House Publishing Group. Sara Beth Haring has joined St. Martin’s as marketing manager. Previously, she worked at Faith Words and Center Street. Tom Hallock, associate […]
PRH Sells Smashing Ideas
Penguin Random House has sold the Seattle-based company Smashing Ideas, which they bought seven years ago (the first acquisition under Markus Dohle, prior to the merger with Penguin). The unit, which provides “consults across the product design and development lifecycle,” was sold to IT service provider Luxoft, for undisclosed terms. PRH US president, director of strategic development Nina von Moltke says in the announcement: “Penguin Random House and Smashing Ideas have enjoyed a long and productive working relationship. While we have continued to work together on several exciting digital product experiences, we believe that moving forward, Smashing Ideas, and its exceptionally […]