The King’s English Bookstore in Salt Lake City, UT was temporarily shut down by a bomb threat on Sunday morning targeting a drag queen story hour. Salt Lake City police heard of a “suspicious circumstance” around 9:30 and, after determining it was a bomb threat, evacuated the store to search for explosives, clearing it to reopen around 11. Tara Lipsyncki has hosted that drag queen story hour for five months. Lipsyncki wrote in an Instagram post, “In the face of hate and threats you have two options, to fight back or to back down. I will always fight and stand […]
Archives for September 2023
Project Gutenberg Refines Automated Audiobook Creation
Project Gutenberg has converted approximately 5,000 book files into audiobooks using synthetic voice. Working in concert with MIT and Microsoft, the project aimed to refine producing machine-generated audio conversions at scale. The researchers write: “Our system uses new advances in neural text-to-speech, emotion recognition, custom voice cloning, and distributed computing to create engaging and lifelike audiobooks…. We believe that this work has the potential to greatly improve the accessibility and availability of audiobooks.” In a paper on the project, they explain: “Different audiobooks require different reading styles. Nonfiction works benefit from a clear and neutral voice while fictional works with […]
Layoffs at Insight Editions
Insight Editions laid off a number of staffers earlier this week as part of a “refinement of [their] organizational structure.” The company would not provide a number of fired employees on the record. They add in a statement, “We are confident that these changes will improve the way we do business and ensure that we are in the best position possible to most effectively continue our mission of “crafting the extraordinary” for fans, readers, and our content partners. Unfortunately, this reorganization brought about the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of positions within the company.
Sales Fall at Scholastic
Scholastic reported lower sales in their fiscal first quarter, ending August 31, a period that usually shows a loss because schools are not in session. Revenues of $228.5 million were down $34.4 million (or 13 percent) from a year ago. Earnings suffered more, with an operating loss of $(99) million, $41 million higher than $(58) million a year ago. That included $6.3 million in one-time severance charges for restructuring and cost savings initiatives. Trade sales of $72.9 million were down 19 percent, compared to $90.1 million a year ago, with “lower backlist sales, reflective of the overall retail bookselling market, […]
Abrams Partners With RBMedia On Audiobooks
Abrams has signed signed a multi-year audiobook deal with RBMedia, with the first titles launching in spring 2024. RBMedia has produced Abrams titles in the past including the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney and Unprotected by Billy Porter, which won an Audie, but this deal makes them the exclusive audio producer for the publisher. Abrams president and ceo Mary McAveney said, “Abrams is committed to developing multi-platform media experiences for our audiences of booklovers. Audio is a critical piece in our continued development, connecting our narrative publishing with millions of audio consumers. We couldn’t be in better hands.” Troy Juliar, chief content […]