Swedish ebook streaming service and publisher Storytel issued their formal 2021 annual report. But the bigger parallel news was the announcement that founder Jonas Tellander is stepping down as ceo, effective immediately, while remaining on the board. Ingrid Bojner takes over as interim ceo as the board searches for a permanent successor. “It’s time for new leadership at Storytel, 17 years of full focus on Storytel has taken its toll. The team is now stronger than ever and will, under Ingrid’s leadership, take big steps this year,” Tellander said. “Personally, after a little time off, I look forward to continuing to […]
Archives for February 2022
People 2/18
As part of the continued Workman integration, Ian Gross joins the HBG contracts department as director, reporting to Andrea Shallcross. Shani Weisser joins as associate, reporting to Gross. Jodi Donovan will join as contracts operations coordinator.
New York State Considers Freelance Isn’t Free Law
On Thursday, the Freelance Isn’t Free Act was introduced in the New York State Senate, which would both expand statewide and also strengthen a similar 2017 law in New York City that provides protections to independent contractors. The city’s law applies to contracts worth $800 or more; the state threshold would apply at just $250. Author’s Guild ceo Mary Rasenberger released a statement in support of the law on behalf of the organization, saying, “We have seen a dramatic increase in the number of complaints from writers about very late payment or nonpayment. It is not fair that workers paid […]
People 2/17
At Abrams, Lora Grisafi has been promoted to associate art director, Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Lagardere Publishing Reports Record Profits
Lagardere reported fourth quarter and full year results, with publishing division sales of €772 million in Q4, up 10.3 percent from €700 million last year. These results were driven by €24 million from the acquisition of Workman, and €16 million in foreign exchange as the British pound depreciated. For the full year, publishing sales were €2.598 billion, up 9.4 percent from €2.375 billion a year ago. Recurring EBIT rose substantially, to a record of €351 million, up €105 million over last year. The company said the higher margin “was driven by business growth, a favorable sales mix and disciplined cost […]
Our Next Discuss Guests: Co-founders of Melville House, Dennis Johnson and Valerie Merians
Join Discuss online at this Publishers Marketplace link Wednesday, February 23 at noon Eastern for an AMA with Melville House founders on indie publishing, the state of book publishing today, why they don’t require agented submissions, and more. Dennis Johnson is, with his wife Valerie Merians, the founder and publisher of Melville House. Johnson is also the founder of the MobyLives blog. Prior to becoming a publisher, Johnson graduated from the Iowa Writers Workshop and was a journalist and academic. Valerie Merians’ recent Melville House titles include How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell; The Mueller Report ; The Making […]