The National Book Critics Circle announced their 2018 award winners on Thursday night: Novel Milkman, Anna Burns (Graywolf), Nonfiction Directorate S, Steve Coll (Penguin Press) Criticism Feel Free, Zadie Smith (Penguin Press) Autobiography Belonging: A German Reckons With History and Home, Nora Krug (Scribner); Biography Flash: The Making of Weegee the Famous, Christopher Bonanos (Holt) Poetry Carrying, Ada Limón (Milkweed)
Archives for March 2019
People, Etc.
Hannah Rahill has been promoted to senior vice president, director of publishing development and strategy at Crown Publishing. In this newly created position, she will develop publishing programs and product across the illustrated area of Crown, including Ten Speed, Clarkson Potter, and Harmony/Rodale. At Chronicle Books, Natalie Butterfield has been promoted to assistant editor, art. Lee Brackstone will leave Faber & Faber after nearly 25 years there to join Orion, where he will run a new music-focused imprint. Also in the UK, executive publisher at Templar Lisa Edwards will leave the company to explore new opportunities. Forthcoming Flatiron Books will publish […]
As Hudson Group Grows, Media Sales Continue to Slide
The Hudson Group, the travel retailer and bookstore, released Q4 and full-year 2018 earnings, as well as their first annual report since going public in February 2018. Book sales are registered in a breakout of “literature and publications,” with that segment declining slightly in the three years of data provided, as “confectionary, food, and catering” grew commensurately. Literature and publications comprised 9 percent of company sales in 2018, or $167 million, declining from $176 million and $193 million in 2017 and 2016 respectively. In 2016, literature and publications were almost 12 percent of sales. Meanwhile, the company opened a new […]
Lagardere Publishing Profit Falls
After reporting a slight revenue decline of 1.6 percent for full-year 2018 back in February, at €2.252 billion, Lagardere Publishing has now reported full results in line with the expectation that 2018 would be “a more challenging year.” Profits for the year fell more than sales, at €190 million, down 9.5 percent from recurring EBIT of €210 million in 2017. The company said that the weakness in education sales in France — which were down €49 million — “weighed on profitability, as education has a higher operating margin.” Additionally, under nonrecurring items — which as we have observed in the […]
People, Etc.
Jan Baumer has joined Folio Literary Management as an agent. She was formerly acquisitions editor at Harper One. Tara Schlesinger has joined Gallery as senior digital marketing manager. She was previously a digital marketing and publicity specialist at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Awards A 13-title Booker International longlist was announced, with the actual nominations to be released on April 9. The London Book Fair International Excellence Awards were presented across 18 categories. The Academy of Arts and Letters is presenting awards in literature to 17 writers this year. Among them: Lydia Millet gets an award of merit; Robert Alter, Marilyn Chin, Chris […]
London: So Many Debuts, So Few Big Deals
We’ve run out of polite synonyms for modest and soft, so we’ll start our final look at the dealmaking patterns leading into the London Book Fair with what jumped out as most distinctive. Debut fiction is always a closely-watched market bellwether, particularly as the mainstream fiction market appears to languish. The good news is that this year’s five weeks of sales and announcements ahead of the fair has recorded the most debuts in the past four years. At the same time, however, reported deals for substantial amounts (major and significant deals) are far lower than at any other point: 2019 […]