The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has quickly dropped 11 complaints “related to so-called ‘book bans'” and “rescinded all department guidance issued under the theory that a school district’s removal of age-inappropriate books from its libraries may violate civil rights laws.” Additionally, the OCR “will no longer employ a ‘book ban coordinator’ to investigate local school districts and parents working to protect students from obscene content.” The release claims it is overturning a “book ban hoax.” Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor says in the announcement that “the department is beginning the process of restoring the […]
Bertelsmann Employees Will Use ChatGPT Enterprise, Help AI Company In “Distributing” Content
Bertelsmann announced a “strategic collaboration” with OpenAI, a major feature of which seems to a corporate-wide license of ChatGPT Enterprise for its employees, who will use the product “to increase the efficiency of existing processes in the daily workflow.” Additionally, “experts and creatives from the group’s content businesses will work with OpenAI to develop new ways of creating and distributing video, audio, and text content.” Among the sample projects cited in the release, “In marketing, AI will facilitate processes, e.g. with personalized book recommendations on social media at Penguin Random House,” and “at RTL Deutschland, journalists will be supported by […]
2024 Print Sales, For the Record
Circana Bookscan issued a brief statement on 2024 print sales, with total units growing a rounded 1 percent in 2024, to 783 million units overall (up 5 million units from 2023). Note that for much financial reporting 2024 is a 53 week year — but for sales comparison purposes, Bookscan has adjusted to count only 52 sales weeks from 2024. (When publishers issue public reports, they will show 53-week years, with appropriate sales bumps for the extra week.) Adult fiction led the market, growing 9.5 million units to 201 million books, while adult nonfiction fell by 1.1 million units to […]
Penguin Random House to Acquire Australia’s Text Publishing
Text Publishing in Melbourne, Australia announced a deal in which they will be acquired by Penguin Random House. The publisher was founded in 1990 and has been majority owned by publisher Michael Heyward and senior editor Penny Hueston, in partnership with Maureen and Tony Wheeler (the founders of Lonely Planet). Heyward said in the release, “Text has created an unparalleled space for itself in Australian publishing. Now it’s time for a new owner to provide a home for the company’s entrepreneurial energies and its family of brilliant authors. We are lucky to have the right custodian in Penguin Random House […]
Waterstones Results Improve
Waterstones filed a report for its fiscal year ending April 27, 2024 with the UK’s Companies House, reporting increased sales following the full integration of results from the acquired Blackwells and Foyles into their results. Sales were £528 million, up from £453 million the prior year, and operating profit rebounded to £43.8 million, up from £13.9 million. The previous year they suffered from “disruptions to the distribution center, caused by the implementation of a new warehouse management system.” As of the end of the previous fiscal year, the company was in the process of refinancing a £77.9 million term loan […]
Obituary: John Taylor “Ike” Williams
Co-founder of literary agency Kneerim and Williams (which now operates as Calligraph) John Taylor Williams, known as Ike, died on December 26, 2024 at home in Cambridge, MA at age 86, surrounded by family. A lawyer by training, Williams represented publishing clients and literary rights at the Boston firm Palmer and Dodge before founding Kneerim and Williams with Jill Kneerim in 1990. The Provincetown Independent writes, “Ike possessed what used to be called charisma. When he walked into a restaurant, heads turned as if there were an invisible spotlight on him, even if most in the room had no idea […]