As the trade portion of the Frankfurt Book Fair wraps up, we’re reminded (and remind you) that the biggest book news of the week had nothing to do with the trade show — and oddly has barely been mentioned in most outlets. We are speaking, of course, about Taylor Swift’s limited-edition book TAYLOR SWIFT: The Eras Tour Book, being sold exclusively at Target physical stores on November 29 (and likely to sell out before becoming available online). Everyone’s talking about it, though within the business we fear people are asking the wrong questions and/or coming to the wrong conclusions. Consider […]
Archives for October 2024
People 10/18
Panelists Urge Rights Holders to License Content for AI
In one of the final industry events of the fair, a panel titled Let Licensing Bloom: The Root of Responsible AI, hosted by the Copyright Clearance Center, panelists discussed their concerns about AI technology and the value of licensing content in order to protect it. They acknowledged several issues about the technology, including the fears that courts will rule in favor of tech companies on their use of copyrighted content, the speed with which tech companies are moving, and the need for transparency about what data LLMs are trained on. Still, they agreed that licensing cannot be ignored. EVP, global […]
People 10/17
Third Quarter Sales Are Flat at Lagardere Publishing, As HBG “Grew Strongly”
Lagardere Publishing issued their brief third quarter trading update on Thursday afternoon, with third quarter sales of €765 million, just below €767 million for the same period a year ago. CEO Arnaud Lagardere said in the release, “Lagardère Publishing maintained a high level of revenue, lifted especially by a standout performance in the United States.” The announcement notes that in the US, “business grew strongly thanks to a publication schedule that included a new Malcolm Gladwell novel (Revenge of the Tipping Point) and strong backlist sales of Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid, together with rising digital sales and a solid performance in […]
New Ventures and a Return to Normal at FBF Day 2
The Frankfurt Book Festival continued on Thursday, seeming like business as usual after years of change. Attendees said that the crowds seemed back up to pre-pandemic levels, and security was back down after being heightened last year in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks. While some international publishers said they have been busy making deals throughout the fair, several others said that the bulk of their dealmaking happens throughout the year. For them, the fair serves more as an opportunity to catch up with colleagues and friends in person, which they maintain is just as valuable. A conversation with […]