Following an accounting adjustment in October, authors who produce and sell their own audiobooks through Audible’s ACX became aware of the significant extent to which “returned” and “exchanged” audiobooks — encouraged by Audible itself — have been cutting into their proceeds. Returns and exchanges turned out to comprise “15% to 50% or more of lost sales over time” for many authors. One author, Susan May, published a lengthy post about her experience. More authors have traded stories and strategies in a Facebook group “to come together to persuade ACX & Audible to give us a fair deal on our audiobooks.” […]
Archives for November 2020
Best Of: NYT’s Best Books of the Year, And More
The New York Times Book Review announced its 10 Best Books of the Year, in a live virtual event featuring Pamela Paul and the other editors. “For us,” said Paul, “A best book is a book that stands on the merits of its prose and its storytelling, and succeeds on the terms that the author set out for it… We choose these books because we think these books offer a level of achievement that readers have come to expect from the New York Times. It’s impossible to fully convey what it takes to get there, but let me say when […]
People, Etc
Ken Brooks is leaving his position as chief content officer at Wiley and will resume his consulting practice at Treadwell Media focused on content and operations in trade, reference and education publishing. Jessica Sindler has joined the ghostwriting and publishing services firm Kevin Anderson & Associates as executive editor. Previously she was senior editor at Dey Street books. US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo has been appointed to a third term, only the second person in 77 years to do so. The International Publishers Association (IPA) confirmed Bodour Al Qasimi, founder of the Kalimat Group in the UAE, as president-elect. Owner […]
People, Etc.
Ibrahim Ahmad will join Viking as executive editor starting January 11, reporting to Andrea Schulz. He was previously editorial director at Akashic Books, where he worked for two decades. Selena James has joined Amazon Publishing as senior editor for Little A and Amazon Original Stories. She was previously at Kensington. Stephanie Purcell will join Bloomsbury UK as group rights director, reporting to Kathleen Farrar. She has been rights director at Simon & Schuster UK. Clark Christian has been hired as marketing director for the Thomas Nelson Bible group. Most recently he worked in product marketing for healthcare education company, PESI. Layoffs […]
More Best of 2020: NYT, Time, Oprah Magazine
The New York Times released its 100 notable books list, with its top 10 still to come. Elsewhere, Oprah Magazine published their 20 best titles. Titles by Kawai Strong Washburn, Raven Leilani, and Danielle Evans are excerpted and available for download in our Buzz Books 2020 samplers. The complete list: African American Poetry, edited by Kevin Young A Beautiful Crime, by Christopher Bollen The Boy in the Field, by Margot Livesey Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson The Cold Millions, by Jess Walter Deacon King Kong, by James McBride A Girl is A Body of Water, by Jennifer Mansubuga Makumbi Homeland Elegies, […]
Stuart’s Shuggie Bain Wins Booker Prize
Douglas Stuart’s novel Shuggie Bain (Grove/Picador) was awarded the £50,000 Booker Prize, in a virtual ceremony on Thursday afternoon. Chair of judges Margaret Busby said in part: ‘Shuggie Bain is destined to be a classic — a moving, immersive and nuanced portrait of a tight-knit social world, its people and its values…. The poetry in Douglas Stuart’s descriptions and the precision of his observations stand out: nothing is wasted.” Stuart said in his acceptance speech, “I know I’m only the second Scottish book in fifty years to have won, and that means I think a lot for regional voices, for working […]