With 57 votes tabulated and the holiday looming we’re ready to stop counting and present the final and ultimate (despite some newcomers) aggregation of selective “best of 2019” book lists from all over — including major publications of all kinds, but also retailer and library selections, major award nominees, public votes, new “tastemakers” (we gave votes to Reese and Jenna this year) and more. (We are still waiting on some final lists and will adjust the totals in this post for the record as needed, but with many people out of the office starting now, we wanted to share this […]
Many Less Happy Returns, and A Light Forecast for Spring, As Barnes & Noble Prepares Inventory Shift
This time a year ago publishers were worried about printing and restocking the books customers wanted before the holidays, but now the concern that a number of publishers and agents have been expressing in recent weeks is somewhat of the inverse. They’re focused on leftover stock at Barnes & Noble that will be sold under shared markdowns or returned after a post-holiday sale, along with signals that initial orders from the chain for spring are running lighter. Those issues are all seen through the lens of a particularly tense holiday sales period: The late Thanksgiving left only three-and-a-half weeks to […]
The Best of the Best Children’s Books of 2019
With an ever-expanding universe of published lists, we are excited to expand our popular aggregation of selective “best books of the year” lists to include a terrific tabulation of the consensus Best of the Best Children’s Books of 2019. Drawing on 28 selective sources in all, the data naturally provided a clear set of top 3 titles across young adult, middle grade, and picture books. With more lists focused on young adult books than any other segment, we also have a top 10 young adult list to share. Top 3 Young Adult Books of the Year On the Come Up, […]
People: Quinton Leaves BN for Scholastic
Barnes & Noble vp and general merchandise manager, bookstore Sasha Quinton is the latest senior executive to leave the company, named evp, Scholastic and president, Scholastic Book Fairs effective January. She is succeeding Alan Boyko, who announced his retirement earlier this year after 14 years in that position. Quinton will report to ceo Richard Robinson. He said in the announcement, “We believe her instinct for finding and marketing books that captivate young readers, deep expertise in retail and merchandising, and proven operational acumen make her the ideal candidate to lead Scholastic Book Fairs. The market for book distribution continues to […]
Simon & Schuster CEO Looks to “A Host of New Opportunities”
As Simon & Schuster closes the year as part of the newly re-merged ViacomCBS, ceo Carolyn Reidy writes to staff in her year-end letter, “This re-combination will present Simon & Schuster with a host of new opportunities as we forge close relationships that can both draw from and supply content to our new media partners, expanding the universe of direct relationships and pipelines that we have previously worked very hard to establish and maintain, and that over the years have yielded significant benefit. I am very much looking forward to seeing how we will be able to exploit the many […]
Bertelsmann to Buy Pearson’s Remaining Stake in Penguin Random House for $675 Million
After resisting a full buyout of Pearson’s minority share in Penguin Random House in 2017, Bertelsmann is exercising their option to buy Pearson’s remaining 25 percent stake in the book publishing joint venture at the soonest opportunity. They will pay $675 million, subject to another round of regulatory approvals, with the deal expected to close in the second quarter of 2020. An analyst at Barclays commented, “The price is in the ballpark of what we expected — a little better.” The latest purchase is based on an enterprise value for PRH of $3.67 billion, up from the $3.55 billion valuation […]