Amazon has released their annual package of the year’s bestselling, newly-published books for 2015, across multiple categories. Note in particular that, as usual, the publicized lists cover books published during 2015 only. So if you are interested in the titles that sold the best at Amazon during the year, you want to refer to their product bestseller lists that show the most popular print books and ebooks. In the lists released today, these are their top 20 new books for 2015, with combined print and ebook sales: 1. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 2. Grey: Fifty Shades […]
Launch Kids, Masterclasses, and More Added for Digital Book World
We’re starting to add more details on the full programming line-up for the next big Digital Book World, running March 7 – 9. For the first day, before the main DBW conference begins, Launch Kids — the country’s biggest event for children’s publishing — returns. Covering both the consumer and education markets, Launch Kids looks at the latest generation of ideas and content, from the best strategies in book marketing to what’s happening in the physical — and digital — library market, to the trends driving editorial decisions. The program is still in formation, but as usual includes everything from original data on children […]
Barnes & Noble Education Falters During Key Back-to-School Quarter
Barnes & Noble Education followed in the footsteps of their former parent company with a disappointing second quarter sales report — only it matters more to BNED, since this was supposed to be their big “fall rush” season. Sales of $755.9 million were up $4.2 million, but net income fell by $3.6 million to $33.4. (They opened 7 new stores in the quarter, which added $6.6 million in sales.) EBITDA fell as well, at $72.7 million, down $5.2 million. Same-store sales dropped 3 percent in the quarter. CEO Max Roberts said in the release, “This fall rush period was negatively […]
People
Former editor and literary agent Tim Seldes, 88, died at home in Washington, DC on Saturday. Seldes bought the agency Russell & Volkening agency in 1972, and retired after selling the agency to Lippincott Massie McQuilkin in 2012. Stacia Decker will join Dunow, Carlson and Lerner on January 2. She has been with the Donald Maass Agency since 2009. Michael Jon Jensen has joined Westchester Publishing Services, a composition and editorial services company, as director of technology. He was part of the startup group at Project MUSE, and for many years was director of publishing technologies for the National Academies Press. Lauren Kretzschmar has been promoted to publicist […]
More Best Books of the Year
There has been an abundance of new “best books” over the past few days, among them: Time magazine’s top 10 works of fiction and nonfiction, as well as: Huffington Post Best Fiction Seattle Times critics’ picks Boston Globe St. Louis Post Dispatch Globe and Mail Among retailers, lists were issued by: Kobo Amazon Canada And Canada’s National Post finished their countdown, naming Ta-Nehisi Coates‘ Between the World and Me as their number one pick for the year.
Barnes & Noble Finishes Down Close to 17 Percent
Barnes & Noble stock rebounded a little from its morning low on Friday to finish at just above $10 a share — still down $17 percent on the day (with Barnes & Noble Education falling over 7 percent as people sold anything either Barnes or Noble). In a down market overall, Barnes & Noble is declining again Monday morning, down over 7 percent so far. In the company’s quarterly SEC filing, they detailed the components of the recent period’s sales decline. The problematic relaunch of the BN.com website decreased online sales by $17.5 million — or 22 percent, which is significant […]