AAP released its StatShot of publisher reported sales for September, with combined adult and children trade sales of $877 million, up from $718 million, or 22 percent higher. Shipments were up as well, at $978 million, up from $837 million last September, as the trade pushed out fall inventory ahead of the election and the anticipated supply chain challenges later this year. Gains were particularly strong in adult books, where net sales of hardbacks (at $258 million) and paperbacks (at $185 million) were 31 percent and 35 percent higher respectively, and gross shipments were an average of more than 20 […]
Archives for October 2020
People, Etc.
Christopher MacLehose is leaving the MacLehose Press imprint that he founded 13 years ago. Katharina Bielenberg will be promoted to publisher. Christy Ottaviano is leaving Holt Children’s, where she has worked for 28 years, to join Little, Brown Children’s on November 30. She will continue to publish there under a Christy Ottaviano Books imprint. Jessica Anderson is moving with her. Jay Pabarue has joined The New Press as marketing and publicity associate. He was previously marketing manager at Book of the Month. Randy Kessler, 50, national sales manager at Scholastic, died on October 22. He began working at Scholastic in […]
People: Hachette Book Group to Launch Legacy Lit Imprint
Hachette Book Group is launching a new imprint called Legacy Lit, “dedicated to books for and by people of color.” Executive editor Krishan Trotman has been promoted and will lead the line as vp and publisher. A part of the Perseus Books division, reporting to Susan Weinberg, Legacy Lit will publish 12 to 15 titles a year across a number of genres, “that give voice to issues authors, and communities that have been marginalized, underserved, and overlooked.” The first titles will be released in 2022. CEO Michael Pietsch says, “I am very excited about this new imprint and grateful to […]
People, Etc.
Chairman emeritus of Writers House Al Zuckerman is retiring 47 years after founding the agency. “A true legend of the industry,” the agency writes, “At the beginning of his storied career, Al was a one man shop, taking business meetings in a bank lobby; he retires having overseen the growth of the company to the industry-leading agency it is today, with over twenty agents and fifty employees. At the core of his success was Al’s extraordinary understanding of storytelling, begun with his doctoral thesis on Hamlet at Yale’s famed Drama School and continuing on through his own work as a […]
Bloomsbury Had Decent First Half
Bloomsbury announced results for the six month period ending August 31, with “stronger than anticipated” overall sales of £78.3 million, up from £71.3 million in the first half of 2019, or 10 percent. Pre-tax earnings were £4 million, up from £2.5 million. One-time charges of £1 million were down modestly from £1.2 million last year. The big boom came in May and June, previously reported over the summer, when the company said trade sales were up 28 percent for the first four months of the year, lifted by titles on race and a new Sarah J. Maas book. That increase […]
New Books Publishing October 27
As in previous weeks, our sample Bookshop and Aerbook store carousels provide easy displays of books publishing today in need of attention and support, featuring: 16 new works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-october-27 7 new nonfiction titles https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-october-27 More new children’s and YA titles https://bookshop.org/lists/new-children-s-titles-publishing-in-orctoberber We consult a number of sources in compiling our weekly lists and PM members can see our lists for the coming three months through this reference page. But if you want to make sure your key titles are on our radar, now you can use this form to submit brief details as well: publun.ch/submitNotable. Please submit your notable titles at least […]