Penguin Random House US ceo Madeline McIntosh wrote to staff on Wednesday morning about the company’s extensive thinking on “planning for the next normal,” which includes hopes for a modest reopening of offices later this year, along with a commitment to support work from home on an ongoing basis. She wrote, “The current thinking is that we will begin to expand access to our various offices—for those who need to use them—in September,” though that “is very much subject to change” based on public health guidance. “Even once the building opens, we’ll need to be cautious in how we inhabit […]
It’s Back: The Next Buzz Books Editors Panel
We are open for registration for our next, much anticipated virtual Buzz Books Editors Panel, convening on Wednesday, May 19 at 7 PM Eastern. Once again, we are honored to have the American Booksellers Association join us as co-presenter, with co-owner of Books Are Magic bookstore and bestselling novelist Emma Straub as the host. (Her latest novel, All Adults Here, was just released in trade paperback on April 13.) You can register here — and the first 50 booksellers who enroll will get a package of galleys for the featured titles. In May, a week ahead of the panel, we’ll […]
Lagardere Negotiating Deal with Shareholders That Could Leave Group Intact, For Now
Arnaud Lagardere and the shareholders who actually own the majority of the company he currently controls are under pressure to negotiate an agreement ahead of the company’s annual meeting on June 30. Over the weekend, French press reported progress on a new potential deal, in which Lagardere would relinquish the special commandite corporate structure that allows him to control the company even though he only owns 7 percent, in favor of normal governance and control. The “people familiar with the matter,” talking to the FT, suggest that Lagardere could receive additional regular shares in the company worth between €200 million […]
This Week’s Wednesday Guest: Literary Agent Vicky Bijur
Longtime literary agent Vicky Bijur (Vicky Bijur Literary Agency) joins us at noon on Wednesday, April 28 as our next weekly AMA guest on the PM forum Discuss. Feel free to post your questions for Vicky in advance; the discussion will happen at this link. A reminder that these are straightforward typed message board conversations. No cameras, no sound, no zooming, no separate apps required. Use the “reply” button to type your questions or comments, and Vicky will post back. While all of these conversations are scheduled and conducted live on our site, everything is preserved as well, so if you can’t […]
Tracked eBook Units Rose 17 Percent in 2020
NPD Bookscan recently reported ebook sales data for the full year 2020, as reported by participating publishers through their PubTrack Digital service. Tracked ebook sales hit 174 million units in 2020, up 17 percent compared to 149 million units in 2019. (For now, the reported data excludes IPG, so these numbers may not align with previous reports.) The biggest gains came in April and May, and when pandemic-fueled ebook sales were up 10 million over the same period in 2019. While it covers a somewhat different pool of participants, Bookscan’s unit data is in line with the AAP’s revenue data, […]
At Noon Today: Our Online Discussion with Mary Rasenberger at the Authors Guild
Just as the Authors Guild has made its signature “model contract” (and new translation model contract) openly available, the organization’s ceo Mary Rasenberger joins us at noon Eastern as our next weekly AMA guest on the PM forum Discuss. Some people are already posting their questions for Mary and she has already posted some basic background information about the Guild’s advocacy efforts for writers; the discussion will happen at this link. As we explained previously, these are straightforward typed message board conversations. No cameras, no sound, no zooming, no separate apps required. Use the “reply” button to type your questions […]