ViacomCBS reported second quarter results on Thursday morning, with sales at Simon & Schuster rising off of last year’s pandemic decline, when sales fell $18 million, down to $200 million for the period. As a discontinued operation ahead of the DOJ’s review of the sale to Penguin Random House, actual results were not available when this report was first published, pending the filing of their full 10-q with the SEC. We’ll update after the filing. (For now, VIAC reported net earnings net of tax for all discontinued operations — of which S&S is just one component — of $41 million, […]
Bouchercon Cancels Planned Late August Event
Bouchercon, the annual crime fiction event, had planned on convening live again in New Orleans from August 25 through August 29. But with the spread of the Delta variant, and high infection rates in Louisiana in particular, organizers announced by email that the event has been cancelled. The show, which travels every year, will revisit New Orleans in 2025. The Anthony Awards will still be held, with more information to follow “in the next few weeks.” But there will be no broader pivot to a full virtual conference, since “the planning and cost is prohibitive.” The organization will provide full […]
Forthcoming: Mel Brooks’ Memoir
Mel Brooks’ memoir ALL ABOUT ME! My Remarkable Life in Show Business will be published November 30 by Ballantine, with Century publishing in the UK. Pamela Cannon acquired world rights, sold by Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown UK. Geller writes on Twitter, “At 95, Mel has written his memoir. He felt it was the right time to do it – mid career.”
Quarto Shows Profit on Sales Rebound, Expresses Concern on Shipping and Printing Costs
Quarto reported sales for the first half of 2021, with revenues rebounding to pre-Covid levels: They had sales of $56.9 million — “against a weak comparative” of $46.9 million last year, and in line with $56.4 million in 2019, and $56.2 million in 2019. They showed an actual profit before tax as well, of $3 million, compared to a loss of ($4) million last year. Notably, the outlook for the second half of the year includes a warning that many publishers are experiencing: “One area of concern is the volatility in freight, with capacity issues and freight costs increasing 3 […]
Acquisitions: PRH Buys 20 20 Editora, Forms New Division In Portugal
Penguin Random House has acquired the 20|20 Editora group in Portugal and will bring together all of its imprints there in a new entity, Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial Portugal. 20|20 founder Manuel de Freitas holds a 15 stake in the new company and serves as general director, reporting to Patxi Beascoa, with editorial continuing to be run by Clara Capitão. PRH ceo Markus Dohle says in the statement, “It is a privilege to expand the scope and strength of our editorial programs in Portugal, bringing together the catalogs of Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial and 20|20 Editora. Together, we […]
Imprints: RBmedia Rebrands Business Titles
RBmedia will publish their business audiobooks under the new brand, Ascent Audio. The line is the successor to their Gildan Media brand (which they acquired in 2017). All of their business titles produced in partnership with other publishers will be issued under the Ascent Audio name, with the recently acquired McGraw Hill Professional business titles publishing under a joint McGraw Hill-Ascent brand.