Bertelsmann reported Q1 group revenues of €4.21 billion, up from €3.99 billion in the prior year’s quarter. Bertelsmann chairman and ceo Thomas Rabe said this was “one of its best first quarters in recent years” — since 2008, in fact. The company is no longer reporting EBITDA and group profit as part of the quarterly update, and as usual there were no details by division. Fuller figures will come in the half-year results. The company called out Penguin Random House’s “strong bestseller performance,” saying that Michelle Obama’s Becoming had continued to enjoy strong sales, with more than ten million copies […]
Archives for May 2019
The Book Expo Schedule, Simplified
Book Expo’s schedule software remains as difficult as ever, so we are back with our handy single schedule spreadsheet. Listed day-by-day, hour-by-hour, it puts all of the various common convention events, educational sessions and stage events in one place. Just visit publun.ch/2019bxsched. (It does not include specialized tracks of limited interest, like the new slate of Unbound events focused on sideline merch, or the self-published showcases, previously known as BEA Selects, now called Indie Insights.) As previously announced, you can already tour our virtual convention presenting nearly 60 excerpts from notable forthcoming fall titles, just by downloading the new ebook […]
People, Etc.
Welbeck Publishing Group is starting a commercial fiction imprint, Portland Press, launching in 2020 and focusing on crime, thrillers, romance and women’s fiction. Jon Elek will be lead the line as group publisher, fiction after 10 years as an agent, most recently at United Agents. Ali Hammond has joined the publisher relations team at BookBub, as the account manager for audiobook publishers on their new audio platform, Chirp. Forthcoming A Spanish-language edition of Michael Wolff‘s just announced new book — published as Asedio: Trump en el punto de mira — will be ready on June 4 as an ebook, and […]
The Complete Buzz Books Fall/Winter Titles
As we previewed Tuesday, our new free ebook Buzz Books 2019: Spring/Summer arrives this week packed with pre-publication excerpts from major authors and 12 exciting debuts. Our sampler is the ultimate way to prepare for Book Expo and the fall publishing season (capturing the best part of the event even if you don’t attend — reading some of the hottest new books ahead of everyone else). For the trade editions — with publicity and marketing info, and click-throughs for full galleys, you can download through your platform of choice from NetGalley or Edelweiss. The consumer version is available on all the […]
People, Etc.
Brenda Bowen will join The Book Group as senior agent, with a mission to grow the agency’s children’s business, particularly middle-grade fiction and picture books, starting July 1. She has been at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates since 2009. At Portfolio/Sentinel, Tara Gilbride was promoted to vp, director of marketing and publicity, following the departure of longtime deputy publisher and marketing director Will Weisser. Margot Stamas moves up to director of publicity; Alyssa Adler is now publicist; and Madeline Montgomery was promoted to marketing coordinator. Anna Montague has been promoted to associate editor on the creative development team at Harper Collins. Scott Hatfill […]
Holmes’ Evvie Drake Starts Over Tops June’s Library Reads
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes is the top pick for June’s Library Reads list. The other selections: Ayesha at Last, by Uzma Jalaluddin Call Your Daughter Home, by Deb Spera City of Girls, by Elizabeth Gilbert Fix Her Up, by Tessa Bailey Kingdom of Exiles, by Maxym M. Martineau Magic for Liars, by Sarah Gailey Mrs. Everything, by Jennifer Weiner Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune, by Roselle Lim Recursion, by Blake Crouch