The AAP released their separate set of annual “estimates” — StatShot Annual — on Friday, which we note for those who find these reports useful. As usual, we provide you with our standing reminder that, in contrast to the AAP’s monthly reports, these “estimates” are the product of taking real data and then multiplying it by a factor of over 2x for the trade in an attempt to account for the parts of the publishing industry that never report their numbers. The methodology has never stood up to scrutiny or verification, so we find the estimates of little value. But […]
People, Etc.
Alicia Kroell has been promoted to assistant editor at Catapult. At Sourcebooks, Christy Droege has been promoted to director of data. Adam Lara becomes web developer and administrator. Emily Forney and Umaima Saleem have joined BookEnds Literary Agency. Forney was most recently a publishing and editorial fellow for the LA Review of Books; Saleem was an intern at BookEnds and recipient of a We Need Diverse Books grant. James McGowan has been promoted to associate agent. Finally Forthcoming Blake Bailey‘s long-awaited biography of the late Philip Roth, written based on a collaboration agreement with Roth, will be published by Norton […]
Sales Down 17 Percent at Quarto
At Quarto, for the first six months of 2020, sales fell $9.5 million to $46.9 million, down 17 percent from the same period a year ago. The adjusted operating loss doubled, to $(1.8) million, though the company’s pre-tax loss was about even, given lower interest costs following their recapitalization in January. Chief executive C.K. Lau said in the release, “The drop in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led us to initiate a number of cost management initiatives to tightly manage our cash flow.” They “expect the COVID-19 situation to continue to evolve and this prolonged uncertainty will create […]
New Books Publishing July 28
As in previous weeks, our sample Bookshop and Aerbook store carousels provide easy displays of books publishing today in need of attention and support, featuring: 23 new works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-july-28 12 new nonfiction titles https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-july-28 More new children’s and YA titles https://bookshop.org/lists/new-children-s-titles-publishing-in-july We consult a number of sources in compiling our weekly lists and PM members can see our lists for the coming three months through this reference page. But if you want to make sure your key titles are on our radar, now you can use this form to submit brief details as well: publun.ch/submitNotable
Briefs: Mary Trump’s Continuing Sales, and More
Mary Trump’s TOO MUCH AND NEVER ENOUGH sold over 1.35 million units across all formats during its first week on sale in the US, Simon & Schuster reported. Another hardcover reprint will give them 1.35 million copies in print when it delivers. That suggests continuing sales of about 400,000 units after pre-orders and the first day on sale, and an added 200,000 hardcovers in print since their first sales announcement a week ago. NPD Bookscan charted sales of over 337,000 hardcovers in the channels they measure, through July 18. Russell Ackerman and John Schoenfelder at Addictive Picture and producer Jay […]
WME Joins In Raising Assistants’ Compensation
William Morris Endeavor has responded to the #PayUpHollywood initiative by joining other large talent agencies in raising compensation for their assistants. The starting salary for assistants will go from $15 an hour — the legal minimum wage in New York City — to $18 an hour (or $37,440 annually). More importantly, given that almost no assistant can perform the expected duties in a standard work week, agency assistants are eligible for 10 hours of overtime (at time and a half, under the law), without pre-approval from supervisors. (That’s up to $270 a week, or as much as $13,500 across 50 […]