As usual, for people who like a simple Book Expo Schedule that puts all of the main events, education sessions, and stage appearances in one place, we have you covered. Just visit publun.ch/BookExSched2018 to view our consolidated spreadsheet.
Strong Sales for Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury reported sales for fiscal 2018, ending February 28, with sales rising 13 percent (or £19 million) to £161.5 million in what they call “an exceptional year.” Almost all of the growth came from children’s publishing, which added £13.3 million, growing to £69.2 million overall, helped by a 31 percent increase in Harry Potter sales….
Corporate Briefs: Lagardere Leaker, Quarto Qualms
Last week French newspaper Liberation covered an anonymous email sent to “a good part of the French establishment” titled “The Unbearable Impunity of Lagardere,” a six-page PDF criticizing Arnaud Lagardere and his leadership of the company that bears his family’s name. The point of the document is to assert that Lagardere has failed in managing…
Orbach Retakes Chair at Quarto In Surprise Annual Meeting Vote
Quarto co-founder and former chairman and ceo Laurence Orbach restored himself to the publisher’s board and the position of executive chairman in a surprise vote at the company’s annual meeting Thursday. Orbach still controls approximately 20 percent of the company’s shares, and he was supported by 27 percent owner Chuk Kin Lau of Lion Rock Group…
First Quarter Highlights from Lagardere, Bertelsmann
Lagardere and Bertelsmann issued short first quarter highlight reports on Thursday morning. The more detailed report comes from Lagardere, where the book publishing division had sales of €442 million, up €2 million from a year ago. Last year’s acquisitions — primarily Brainbow, Bookouture, Summersdale and Jessica Kingsley — added €12 million in sales, while the weakening US dollar and…
Cengage Authors Sue Over New Subscription Model
Textbooks authors David Knox and Caroline Schacht filed suit in the Southern District of New York against Cengage, alleging that the publisher’s forthcoming Cengage Unlimited subscription model breaks the “fundamental bargain struck” in their publishing agreements, and is designed “for the specific purpose of retaining a greater share of its revenue stream (and therefore reducing…