RBMedia announced the acquisition of audiobook publisher Upfront Books, founded in 2019 by Tyler Finkelstein. The company works with publishers, self-published authors, and literary estates. RBmedia CEO Tom MacIsaac said in the release, “We’re impressed with the quality of the business and catalog that Tyler and his team have built in just a few years. This acquisition supports RBmedia’s continued business growth and expansion initiatives.” Upfront says they have a “technology-driven process to identify, license, produce, and publish great titles as audiobooks for the very first time.”
Archives for July 2022
Distribution: Penzler Imprints and Open Road
Otto Penzler has expanded his longtime relationship with Open Road, which has marketed and distributed MysteriousPress.com titles since the line’s founding in 2011. Now Open Road will power the marketing and distribution of ebooks from Penzler Publishers’ American Mystery Classics and Scarlet imprints. (Norton will continue to distribute the print editions.) “Speaking as a bookseller as well as a publisher, it’s clear that Open Road’s eBook marketing technology drives sales increases not only for ebooks, but for the corresponding print editions as well,” Penzler said in the announcement. “We’re looking forward to more growth as Open Road’s marketing technology is […]
School Library Book Ban Movement Pushes Librarians To Resign
The NYT looks at recent efforts to ban books from school libraries, with a focus on the effects felt by librarians. They catalog some of the most extreme cases, writing that librarians “have been labeled pedophiles on social media, called out by local politicians and reported to law enforcement officials.” Some have quit after experiencing online harassment and others have been fired for refusing to remove certain titles from circulation. The recent book banning movement, which began in Florida and Texas, has now “exploded across the country,” with calls for bans reaching New Jersey, and at least five states, including […]
Macmillan Resumes Operations
Macmillan has reported significant progress in recovering from the cyber attack in late June resulting in “encryption of certain files on our network” that led them to take their computer systems offline. The publisher’s US warehouse resumed operations on Monday, July 4, after being unable to process orders for over a week. They now report full functionality, including “order processing, shipping, and receiving.” The company said in a statement: “Additional resources are being dedicated to quickly work through the backlog of orders submitted while our systems were down and we do not anticipate the need to move any on-sale dates […]
Last Call for Buzz Books Romance Editors Panel
Don’t forget to register here for the last of our 2022 webinars, the Buzz Books Romance Editors Panel, this Wednesday, July 13 at 6 pm Eastern. The Buzz Romance Panel will feature these authors and editors in conversation about their forthcoming titles: Jasmine Guillory DRUNK ON LOVE (Berkley). Edited by Cindy Hwang. Kennedy Ryan BEFORE I LET GO (Forever). Edited by Leah Hultenschmidt. Amber D. Samuel THE MANY DATES OF INDIGO (W by Wattpad Books). Edited by Deanna McFadden. Kate Clayborn GEORGIE, ALL ALONG (Kensington). Edited by Shannon Plackis. Kylie Scott END OF STORY (Graydon House). Edited by Susan Swinwood. And download Buzz […]