Self-publishing distribution platform Draft 2 Digital will begin charging fees in an effort to push back on the proliferation of automated AI accounts and maintain the credibility of indie authors. New accounts will pay a one-time $20 activation fee, and existing accounts that earn less than $100 in a year will pay a $12 “annual maintenance fee.” According to the company, many authors will not be subject to the fees because their sales are too high. D2D also uses verification tools and human reviewers to “maintain a secure, high-integrity publishing environment,” ceo Kris Austin said in a memo to authors. […]
Archives for April 2026
Spotify Shares Page Match Stats; Bookshop Partnership Goes Live
Spotify provided updates on their Page Match feature that they debuted in February, which allows users to scan a physical page to keep their place and switch between audio and print books. The company states that 62 percent of the books that listeners use Page Match to access are books they haven’t streamed before, suggesting that readers are moving from print to audio. In addition, the Bookshop.org partnership that the company previously announced, in which users can purchase a title through Bookshop, which is linked from its Spotify page, is now live on Android devices. It will be available on […]
Obituary: Nelson Gomez
Former Scholastic executive Nelson Gomez, 60, died suddenly on March 30. Gomez was most recently vice president of digital operations for the trade publishing business at Scholastic, where he worked for a combined 23 years. Between stints at Scholastic, Gomez was director of digital technology and development at Callaway Arts & Entertainment. “His impact went well beyond his title and it is hard to capture the breadth and scope of how he helped so many people in so many ways,” Gomez’s friend, Scholastic svp, deputy general counsel Mark Seidenfeld said. “Nelson extended his time and kindness to anyone who asked […]
Bloomsbury Streamlines Divisions for Growth, Will Eliminate 55 Positions
Bloomsbury announced a plan to “streamline its structure for further growth,” which includes streamlining approximately 55 employees out the door. After doubling sales from 2020/21 through 2024/25 through a string of acquisitions, and growing headcount from 738 to a current figure of 1,238, the company will restructure into three vertical business units as of June 1, with each business unit operating with its own editorial, sales, marketing and publicity, rights and audio functions. Those three divisions comprise Bloomsbury USA, Bloomsbury Consumer UK, and Bloomsbury Global Academic & Professional. The plan “is designed to streamline operations, strengthen international reach and accelerate […]
2026 Guggenheim Fellows
Catapult Workers Form Union
Workers at Catapult, Counterpoint, Soft Skull, and Hawthorne Books have formed a union with UAW Local 2110, the same union that represents employees at Harper Collins and Abrams. The Catapult Workers Collective includes approximately 20 staffers in editorial, design, marketing, publicity, production, rights, and operations and has petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a vote. The employees wish to guarantee job security, wages, and greater transparency from management, according to a release. “The goal of our union is to protect the wages and benefits of our workplace, to affirm the dignity and value of our labor, and to advance […]