As readers may recall in January we analyzed domestic book deal trends for 2020, finding that deal volume rose measurably, across all major categories — even as financial investment in the biggest deals softened, particularly in adult books. With NPD Bookscan showing print book sales stronger than ever across the first quarter of 2021 — with sales of approximately 186 million units, up a big 26.5 percent compared to 147 million units in 2020 — we looked at our deal report statistics for the same period. In line with those very strong consumer print book sales, our deal reports also […]
Archives for April 2021
People, Etc.
Zola Mashariki has joined Audible as head of Audible Studios, overseeing the creation of original content, based in Los Angles and reporting to Rachel Ghiazza. Mashariki was most recently chief content officer for One Community (fka Good Films). Danny Vazquez has been promoted to editor at Astra House. Gracie Elliott has been promoted to associate editor, children’s at Workman. Shirley Ortiz has been promoted to executive director of customer service and fulfillment across all Workman Publishing imprints. At Amazon Publishing, Dennelle Catlett has been promoted to senior PR manager. Ashley Vanicek and Brittany Russell have each been promoted to publicity lead. […]
New Books Publishing April 6
Blake Bailey’s 912-page Philip Roth biography, along with memoirs from Hunter Biden, Jenny Lawson, and Brandi Carlile, all publish today. Fiction releases include a new thriller from Jeff VanderMeer and short stories from Haruki Murakami. Also out, Flynn Berry’s Northern Spy, Erin French’s Finding Freedom, and five other titles excerpted in our Buzz Books sampler. 24 new works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-april-6 https://shop.aer.io/publishers_lunch/cl/New_Fiction_Publishing_April_/219246 10 new nonfiction titles https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-april-6 https://shop.aer.io/publishers_lunch/cl/New_Nonfiction_Publishing_April_/219247 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 […]
People, Etc.
Pronoy Sarkar has joined Little, Brown as senior editor, reporting to Judith Clain. Previously, he was an editor at St. Martin’s. Nicole Chung has been promoted to editorial director, digital at Catapult, overseeing Catapult magazine and Catapult’s new digital publication for writers, Don’t Write Alone. Stella Cabot Wilson has been promoted to associate editor of Catapult Magazine and Don’t Write Alone, in addition to her role as Catapult’s writing programs coordinator. Tarah Theoret has been promoted to senior director, community experience at NetGalley. Obituaries South African book publisher Jonathan Ball, 69, died on April 3 of cancer. Longtime literary agent […]
Briefs
Imprints Macmillan Children’s is launching Neon Squid, a new imprint “dedicated to publishing gift nonfiction books that make complex topics – from medicine to archaeology – accessible and exciting for children.” Joanne Clark, Fiona Macdonald, and Sam Priddy will serve as co-publishers, based in London and reporting to Sally Poulson, global operations director at Priddy Books. The first list will launch in winter 2021. Audio Serial Box has been renamed Realm and is expanding to release original audio shows for free as ad-supported podcasts, as well as adding a subscription option. Previously, its audio stories were available to purchase a […]
Storytel Meets Its Growth Goals for 2020, Sets Aggressive New Targets
Swedish audiobook subscription service Storytel published its 2020 annual report, with total sales of SEK 2.39 billion ($268 million), up from SEK 1.84 billion, exceeding its goal for the year despite a strong Swedish krona. The company’s pretax loss was SEK (210) million, an improvement from SEK (380) million last year, though the company remains focused on growth over profit. “Storytel’s strong expansion focus, which prioritizes growth over profitability, will remain in place as long as customer acquisition creates value and contributes to making more markets profitable at a local level.” (One more market reached profitability in 2020, in the […]