July’s AAP StatShot report shows a continuation of June’s trend of rising sales, at $647 million, up $103 million compared to last year. Adult sales gained $79 million, to $460 million, while children’s sales were $24 million higher, at $187 million. Returns remained modestly lower than a year ago, down (10.7) percent. The month’s big gains were from hardcover sales: Adult hardcovers were up by $58 million, as children’s hardcovers gained $17.5 million. At the same time, ebooks retained their pandemic-driven strength, with sales of $98 million, up from $78 million a year ago. Digital audio grew to $55.4 million, […]
Archives for September 2020
Trump Is Trump, Woodward Reveals — But Could Earlier Reporting Have Saved Us?
The Washington Post moved the first story as usual on Bob Woodward’s RAGE, which publishes next Tuesday, and then others followed. Apparently, Trump knew all along how dangerous Covid-19 was, and chose to lie to the public and ignore the peril. In a February 7 interview he told Woodward, “It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flu. This is deadly stuff.” A month later “Trump admitted to Woodward…that he deliberately minimized the danger.” There was immediate backlash online against Woodward for not having revealed any of this at the time. (Woodward explains to his colleague Eric Wemple at the […]
LSC to Close An Indiana Book Printing Plant
With the bankruptcy auction for LSC’s assets underway, at the beginning of this month the company filed notice with the Indiana state government that they will close the former Courier book printing facility in Kendallville, “due to the continued deterioration of market conditions” for four-color higher ed textbooks and “in response to current and expected volumes produced in our 4 color platform.” All 307 jobs at the plant will be eliminated, starting October 1 and finishing by December 23. The offset manufacturing plant is a “predominately trade and educational book, and bible manufacturing operation,” and at one time employed 700 […]
Penguin Random House US Releases Demographic Data, Pledges to “Make Meaningful, Positive Change”
Penguin Random House US ceo Madeline McIntosh shared with the company results of their employee demographic analysis, which paints a stark picture: “I don’t think any of us is likely to be surprised by the data, which show that our company, like our industry, is far too homogeneous. But seeing what we generally know to be true documented this way is hard: the distance we have to travel to become a truly diverse company feels all the more daunting when you look at the numbers. “But, rather than feeling discouraged, I hope that you will instead join the commitment the […]
People, Etc.
At Penguin Random House UK, Cornerstone managing director Susan Sandon and Vintage UK managing director Richard Cable (who are married) will both leave the company at the end of the year. Penguin General publisher Venetia Butterfield will take over at Cornerstone and managing director of the audiences and audio division Hannah Telfer will lead Vintage UK, starting next January. Brand and communications director Rebecca Sinclair will lead the audiences division, and group sales director Rob Waddington will add responsibility as managing director of audio. Madhulika Sikka will join Crown on October 12 as vice president and executive editor, acquiring nonfiction […]
Kirkus Prize Names Finalists
The Kirkus Prize announced their finalists, with the winners to be named on November 5: Fiction Black Sunday, by Tola Rotimi Abraham (Catapult) Fiebre Tropical, by Juli Delgado Lopera (Feminist Press) The Lying Life of Adults, by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein (Europa Editions) Luster, by Raven Leilani (FSG) (Sample an excerpt now in our Buzz Books 2020 Fall/Winter anthology) Deacon King Kong, by James McBride (Riverhead) Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart (Grove) Nonfiction A Furious Sky, by Eric Jay Dolin (Liveright/Norton) Fathoms, by Rebecca Giggs (Simon & Schuster) The Address Book, by Deirdre Mask (St. Martin’s) World of […]