News Corp reported fourth quarter and full year sales, with a strong final quarter at Harper Collins: Publishing sales grew 15 percent to $512 million. Top titles in the quarter include Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton Series, Lucy Foley’s The Midnight Feast, and Sarah A. Parker’s When the Moon Hatched, with strong Bible sales, and improved return rates as well. EBITDA was $57 million, compared to $16 million last year, attributed to strong sales “and lower manufacturing costs driven by product mix, partially offset by higher employee costs.” The Spotify effect continued as well, as digital audiobook sales exceeded ebook sales for […]
Archives for August 2024
DarkLit Press Appears to Shut Down Amid Controversy
Canada-based independent horror publisher Dark Lit Press appears to have shuttered. Their website, social media accounts, and Substack are defunct, and an email to their contact address bounced back. DarkLit’s other imprints, Hedone Books and Third Estate Books, seem to still be active. Reportedly, many authors have pulled their books from DarkLit, and some say they are still owed royalties for books that have already sold. Some authors also report that their books are being sold on Amazon, despite having the rights reverted to them. A former editor also told PL that he is owed pay for working on several […]
Former Scribe Media Employees File Motion For Emergency Relief
In the ongoing litigation against Scribe Media, a group of former employees has filed a motion for emergency relief, following an effort by ceo Eric Jorgenson to get class members to take individual payouts in exchange for confidentiality agreements and legal release. The employees declined the offers, which were for two weeks of salary paid out in installments. The group originally sued last year, after being abruptly laid off in May 2023 without severance and with outstanding pay due to them. The suit is currently set for trial in April 2025. The plaintiffs are requesting a curative notice to the […]
Open Road Launches Banned Books Geo-Targeting Initiative
In advance of Banned Books Week in September, Open Road Media is launching a Free Voices Geo-Targeting initiative, a marketing service that aims to help communities impacted by book bans find and purchase challenged books. Previously, they launched a similar tool called Free Voices, highlighting challenged books, but without the geo-targeting element. The new initiative is aimed specifically at the ten states with the highest frequency of book bans: Texas, Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Utah, Iowa, Idaho and Nebraska. Enrolled titles will be featured in four weeks of promotions in these targeted areas. Additionally, “publishers will have the option […]
September Indie Next List
The ABA named Rachel Kushner's Creation Lake as their #1 pick on the Indie Next List.