Kirkus Reviews editor in chief for over six years Claiborne Smith is resigning to “focus on writing books” and supporting the San Antonio Book Festival, where he will be literary director. Newsday books editor Tom Beer will take over at Kirkus on June 17, reporting to ceo Meg Kuehn. She says in the announcement, “Tom Beer brings the literary sensibility Kirkus; readers have come to expect from us along with experience and keen instincts for reporting on books in a way that connects with reading enthusiasts.” Sourcebooks has hired Molly Cusick, as editor for Jabberwocky, Young Readers, and Fire; and […]
Archives for May 2019
Books Are Sidelined at the Expo, But ABA Membership Has Modest Gain
The AP runs their traditional Book Expo preview, and they concur with our advance piece on a quiet show that has a reduced profile for books, authors and publishers as “the sideline part of the business will be a main attraction.” Designed to appeal to a portion of the 1,000 or so booksellers who will attend, the AP underscores that sidelines comprise about 20 percent of store sales. The ABA will report annual statistics at the show. They have modest gains, adding a net 52 members to 1,887 in all. Member stores now comprise 2,524 locations, compared to 2,470 in […]
Indigo Shows A Loss and Declining Sales in Final Quarter and Fiscal Year
As we told you was expected when correcting the NYT’s appraisal of how Indigo is “reinventing bookselling,” the company reported a poor fourth quarter to end a difficult fiscal year on May 28. For the fourth quarter ending March 31, sales of $199 million (CA) were $16.2 million lower, with same-store sales falling 8.7 percent (affected in part by the timing of Easter). The seasonal net loss for the quarter was ($23.8 million), compared to a loss of ($10.7 million) a year ago. For the full year, sales of $1.047 billion were down $32.8 million, or 3 percent. Overall same-store […]
Wolff’s New Book SIEGE Alleges Mueller Had Drafted Obstruction of Justice Indictment Against Trump
The UK remains a leaky cauldron for newsmaking books, with the Guardian obtaining a copy of Michael Wolff’s SIEGE: Trump Under Fire, due for publication on June 4. (The Guardian was the first to break the embargo on FIRE AND FURY as well, though they underplayed the book’s contents; and when Wikileaks tried to punish the book by posting a free PDF, it was the Little Brown UK version of the book.) The sensational news this time is that special counsel Robert Mueller drew up a three-count indictment for obstruction of justice, titled “United States of America against Donald J […]
Less Imagined, It’s Book Expo Time
Last year Reed Exhibitions made an energetic effort to position Book Expo as fully “reimagined,” focused in particular on the needs of the small but valued bookseller audience. But those efforts yielded fewer booksellers and retailers at the show (about 17 percent fewer); fewer librarians as well (with attendance down about 18.5 percent); and therefore fewer attendees overall. [This is from their initial attendance data; final audited results are usually lower still, but despite repeated requests Reed has not released the audited figures as they usually do. Exhibitors are entitled to this data and should be asking for it.] This […]
Imprints & Forthcoming: Penguin Adds Life; Little, Brown Is Voracious; Mattis Book Publishes Soon
Imprints Penguin Publishing Group will import their version of the Penguin Life line in the UK, across three imprints: Starting in January 2020, titles that focus on inspiration, personal development, lifestyle, and healthy living will come from Viking Life, Penguin Life, and Pamela Dorman Books. Starting with will four titles, together the lines expect to publish 15 “life” titles in 2020. As Viking says in the release, “The editorial, publicity, and marketing groups at all three imprints have been deeply involved in lifestyle and wellness books to great success, and the time has come to define these books within a […]