On July 25, Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro convened a meeting with executives at Penguin Random House about Latino underrepresentation in publishing. The conversation, which also included Latino authors and agents, was roughly an hour long, and topics ranged from “lackluster recruitment of Latino authors,” to lower marketing budgets for their books, to the publisher learning to be “more intentional about building partnerships with Latino organizations to attract and elevate talent at all levels.” Castro told PL that the meeting has been in the works for almost a year. A report he commissioned in 2021 showed that “publishing is the worst […]
Archives for August 2022
New Books Publishing August 2
Stuart Woods and Sarah Thankam Mathews lead this week’s fiction releases, nonfiction includes new work from Lynne Tillman and Robert Lowell, and Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Mason Deaver publish new YA titles this month. Also out this week are novels by Mohsin Hamid and Marianne Wiggins, both excerpted in our Buzz Books 2022: Spring/Summer sampler. 32 works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-august-2 https://shop.aer.io/publishers_lunch/cl/New_Fiction_Publishing_August_/223955 14 nonfiction titles https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-august-2 https://shop.aer.io/publishers_lunch/cl/New_Fiction_Publishing_August_/223955 26 children’s titles https://bookshop.org/lists/new-children-s-titles-publishing-in-august https://shop.aer.io/publishers_lunch/cl/New_Childrens_Titles_Publishing_in_August/223954 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 […]
It’s Actually Day One: Pietsch Testimony and Opening Arguments
The A3 antitrust trial went quickly from the excitement of the long-anticipated event — with cameras set up outside awaiting the non-arrival of Stephen King, due Tuesday, and long security lines for the many visitors — to the slow tedium of an actual trial, establishing a foundation with witnesses and trying to provide a crash course in the basics of book publishing. The good news for both sides — and all sides — is that Judge Florence Pan clearly lives up to her reputation as a rising star heading for the Court of Appeals. Throughout the day, she showed clear […]
A3 Trial: Revised Confidentiality Procedures
As the antitrust trial begins today, the parties jointly filed a proposed revised order for the handling of confidential material, and the anonymizing of certain names. For those who might be affected, the proposal is viewable here.
Adult Hardcovers Fell 19% in May
The Association of American Publishers released StatShot data for May from their participating publishers. Trade sales were $610.6 million, down 4 percent from $639.3 million last year. For comparison, total sales according to the last pre-pandemic report in 2019 were $633 million. Adult book sales were $406.7 million, a (7.7) percent decline compared to $440.5 million in May 2021. Hardcover sales were $121.8 million [down (19) percent], paperbacks were $140.2 million [up 3 percent], and mass markets were $10.2 million [down (47) percent]. Children’s sales were $203.9 million, a 3 percent increase from $198.8 million last year. Hardcovers sold $68.4 […]
Reorganization, Acquisitions Lead to Increased Pearson Profits
Pearson announced results for the first half of the year, with sales of £1.79 billion, up 12 percent from the same period last year. Operating profit grew substantially from £9 million last year to £148 million (an increase from £107 million in 2020). Major restructuring costs affected last year’s profits—particularly reorganizing the business into five distinct segments—and this year’s increase is also attributed to “the net gain related to acquisitions and disposals compared to a loss in 2021.” Most business segments saw improvements in the period. Assessment & Qualifications grew 22 percent, including 45 percent growth in US Student Assessment, […]