In his annual letter to authors and agents sent on Friday, HBG ceo Michael Pietsch wrapped up 2022 and optimistically addressed the downturn of book sales, HBG’s efforts in DEI and fighting book bans, increased marketing efforts, and more. Pietsch explained that book sales overall are below the high numbers of 2021, “but still well above where they were before the pandemic. Bookstore chains and independent bookstores report that they’re thriving, and I expect that the habit of reading and listening to books that many people developed during the pandemic will buoy us all in the years ahead.” He also […]
Archives for January 2023
Obituary: Russell Banks
Russell Banks, 82, died of cancer on January 8 at his home in Saratoga Springs, NY. Banks was the author of 21 books, including Continental Drift (1985) and Cloudsplitter (1998), which were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize.
The New Bestsellers of 2022
As noted on Friday, backlist comprised 70 percent of all print book sales in 2022 as measured by NPD Bookscan, and in line with that roughly three quarters of Bookscan’s top 200 books of the year were also published before 2022. They range from the works of Colleen Hoover — who claimed four of the top five slots, and sold over 14.3 million copies across multiple titles — plus social media discoveries (The Body Keeps the Score), books adapted to film (Where the Crawdads Sing), perennial bestsellers (The Alchemist, Dr. Seuss), and reissues of popular titles (the illustrated edition of Harry […]
Imprints: Mayo Clinic Press Kids, Bonnier’s Black & White Group
Mayo Clinic Press has launched a children’s books imprint, Mayo Clinic Press Kids, “which provides engaging mental and physical wellness content for children.” Books for pre-K through YA are “created in partnership with physicians and practitioners from The Mayo Clinic Children’s Center,” according to a release. Books forthcoming in 2023 include My Life Beyond Depression, Spacecare: Medicine in Microgravity, and Period.: The Quick, All-Inclusive Guide for Every Uterus. In the UK, the expanded Black & White Publishing Group led by Tim Whiting adds two veterans: Susanna Abbott joins as publishing director, for lifestyle non-fiction (she was formerly publishing director at Vermilion) […]
Bookselling: Another Longtime BN Closes
The latest closing announcement: The Barnes & Noble in Paramus, NJ will close February 11 after 28 years in that location because “the landlord has chosen not to renew our lease and will be redeveloping the site.” The store said online, “Unfortunately we don’t have a location for our new building yet, but we will be back.”
Storytel Q4 Sales Meet Forecast
Swedish audio streamer and publisher Storytel released a brief fourth quarter earnings update, with sales of SEK742 million ($69.2 million), up 22 percent and in line with expectations of SEK 735-745 million. For the year, sales were up 31 percent excluding Russia, where the company stopped doing business in September. In the Nordic segment, sales were SEK498 million, up SEK39 million from 2021. Within non-Nordic countries, sales were SEK 244 million, up SEK98 million. Paid subscribers continue to grow in both segments: up 84,000 in the Nordics and 167,000 subscribers in non-Nordics. CEO Johannes Larcher said, “Our performance in Q4 […]