As ALA leaders and some friends planned to visit Macmillan on Wednesday morning to drop off their petition with over 150,000 signatures objecting to the eight-week windowing of new-release ebooks to libraries that begins November 1, ceo John Sargent wrote to librarians in response to their abundant feedback. He opens, “First, I would like to apologize. It is clear to me that I should have written to all of you directly with our terms change. I meant no disrespect.” Sargent also makes clear that the company consulted with community members before finalizing its new policy: “Please know that this change […]
Archives for October 2019
New Investor Eyes Barnes & Noble Education
Between late August and mid-October, James Barnes at BBA Holding Corp. built a position in Barnes & Noble Education, now at 5.07 percent of shares and thus requiring reporting to the SEC in a form 13D. Barnes controls approximately 2.4 million shares of the underperforming campus bookseller — and he also sold short puts on another 1.9 million shares expiring in 2020 at prices of between $2.50 a share and $5.00 a share (betting that the stock will stay above the put prices). After bottoming out at under $3 a share in early October, the stock now trades at $4.25 […]
Indigo’s Best Books of 2019
Right on schedule, Canada’s dominant bricks-and-mortar bookseller Indigo published their best books of 2019 package, including their top 10 books. Their No. 1 pick, from Canadian author Cherie Dimaline, has not been published yet in the US, but is due next summer from William Morrow: 1. Empire of Wild, by Cherie Dimaline 2. The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood 3. From the Ashes, by Jesse Thistle 4. The Huntress, by Kate Quinn 5. Three Women, by Lisa Taddeo 6. Daisy Jones & The Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid 7. The Body, by Bill Bryson 8. The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides […]
Children’s Sales Fall at Bloomsbury In Quiet First Half
Bloomsbury reported earnings for the six months ending August 31, with children’s trade dragging down sales and earnings, accompanied by good results in the smaller academic and professional publishing business. Overall, sales were £71.3 million, down from £75.3 million, and profit before taxes and charges was £2.5 million, down from £2.9 million last year. Trade sales were £41.5 million, down from £47 million last year’s period. Pre-tax profit was £640,000, down from £3.1 million. The declines came primarily from children’s books, with sales of £25.3 million, down almost 19 percent from £31.1 million a year ago, and pre-tax profit of […]
People, Etc.
Sheila O’Shea will join Farrar, Straus as svp and director of marketing and publicity, starting November 18. Most recently, she was senior executive director, marketing communications at Hearst, which she joined in 2014 after 17 years at Penguin Random House. Director of publicity Sarita Varma will report to O’Shea. Publisher Mitzi Angel says in the announcement, “Sheila’s love of books, her enthusiasm, and her wide-ranging experience in both publicity and marketing will be invaluable. She will make a vital contribution to FSG as it looks to the future.” Joanna Pinsker joined Atria Publishing Group this week as deputy director of […]
People, Etc.
Daisy Blackwell Hutton will join Hachette Nashville as vice president and publisher starting November 11, taking over as Rolf Zettersten retires. She has been vp and publisher at Harper Christian. HBG ceo Michael Pietsch said, “Daisy brings to Hachette Nashville a deep understanding of the faith-based, inspirational, and conservative political book markets, combined with a passion for partnering with authors, and proven ability to grow business lines. I’m confident that she will build in exciting ways upon the successful program created by Rolf Zettersten and his talented editorial, marketing, publicity and design teams.” At the Simon & Schuster imprint, Sean […]