Deal reports took a discernible step back in the first quarter, after setting significant records in 2021 and then again in 2022. (Last year, the first quarter was the strongest period the whole year, with total US deal volume ending up down by 1.5 percent.) Total deals registered 4.4 percent lower than in the big Q1 2022, but “core” deals (excluding our digital deals category) declined 8 percent. Similarly, deals from the five largest trade publishers on their own also declined 8.5 percent, leading the market down, primarily due to the two biggest players. Digital deals rose sharply for the […]
Archives for April 2023
Abrams Breaks Out Comics Into Separate Division
Abrams will separate their ComicsArts imprints into its own division, alongside its adult and children’s groups. It will continue to publish graphic novels for adults, and expand to publish manga and international titles. The first books from the new division will launch in fall 2024, and forthcoming titles include graphic adaptations of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Thomas Piketty’s Capital and Ideology. Abrams’s parent company, Média-Participations (MPP), publishes comics, graphic novels, and manga in France, and the new division will allow Abrams to bring those properties to the US market. “Graphic novels, comics, and manga are an area of tremendous […]
NBF 5 Under 35
The National Book Foundation announced its 5 Under 35 honorees.
People 4/4
Anne Marie Tallberg has been promoted to senior vice president and publishing director at St. Martin's Paperbacks and Griffin. She will also continue to oversee Essentials as associate publisher.
Bookselling
Barnes & Noble expects to open a new 8,000-square-foot store in Wareham Crossing in Wareham, MA, scheduled to open on June 14. Independent bookstore Anodyne Book Shop opens this week in Searsport, ME. And Foggy Pine Books in Boone, NC will close on April 15.
Amazon to Close Book Depository After Years of Losses
Amazon will close its UK online bookselling arm Book Depository on April 26. The company told the Bookseller the decision was made “following a review across the company to prioritize what matters most to customers and the long-term health of our businesses.” In an email to publishers and vendors, head of vendor management Andy Chart said, “Over the coming weeks we will complete a winding down of the business, including discontinuing our listings as a marketplace seller and closing our website.” The company cited Amazon ceo Andy Jassy’s January announcement of continued cost-cutting and layoffs, totaling more than 18,000 eliminated […]