Amazon announced that for those using Kindle Direct Publishing, the 70 percent royalty has expanded from a top price of $9.99 up to $12.99, effective July 7, “with equivalent changes in other KDP marketplaces” around the world. That is the first increase in the price band since 2007. As the Authors Guild notes, “This move also brings Amazon closer in line with its competitors: Apple Books and Barnes & Noble Press pay a flat 70 percent at every price point, and Kobo pays 70 percent on any ebook priced at $2.99 or above.”
BNED to Pay A Dividend
Barnes & Noble Education announced final fiscal 2026 results on Thursday afternoon, in line with the advance estimates provided last month. After recording net income for the first time since fiscal 2017, earning $16.9 million for the year, BNED said it would pay an inaugural dividend of 8 cents per share to shareholders of record on July 16, 2026. For the full year, the company had sales of $1.715 billion. Same-store sales rose by $71.3 million, up 4.4 percent for the year. Adjusted EBITDA was $76.5 million, and total debt at year-end was $71 million. They opened 50 stores during […]
Second Quarter Dealmaking Is Mixed As Biggest Publishers Pull Back
First quarter dealmaking for 2026 sent some mixed signals and that story continued in the second quarter, albeit in different ways, but still suggesting that peak deal activity could be in the past. Second quarter deals declined modestly overall (-1.8 percent), due to a continuing drop in reports from digital publishers (exacerbated by our integration of mature digital publishers into the general categories at the beginning of this year). Deals in the core categories were up 2 percent (lifted by that same recategorization). Adult sales reached a five-year high for the period, powered by continuing growth in fiction, up 13.3 […]
TG Jones Restructuring Plan Expected to Win Approval This Week
The draconian restructuring plan to keep UK bookstore chain TG Jones (FKA WH Smith) operating is expected to win court approval after hearings Monday and Tuesday, as at least some creditor groups have agreed to accept owner Modella Capital’s terms. Unnamed sources have told the media (including the Telegraph, Bloomberg and the Guardian) that “a number of key creditor groups, landlords among them, have accepted TG Jones’ proposal before the court hearing.” Property development company British Land, after loudly objecting, “said it would…abstain from voting following what it described as material concessions from TG Jones to treat landlords more fairly.” […]
An Authors Guild Survey Actually Shows A Diverse, Robust Market for Books
An interesting Authors Guild consumer survey sheds light on the true size and richness of demand for books, reminding us that the market may be far larger than what common sales statistics reflect. Unfortunately, the headline—”Only 25 Percent of Readers Paid for a New Copy of a Print Book or Ebook Read in the Previous Month”—positioned the results as suggesting that authors are getting cheated by the many legal ways in which books can be acquired and read, and seemed to criticize people who love their local libraries. (“The study upends a common assumption about library borrowing: the readers most […]
WH Smith Drops to 16-Year-Low on Profit Warning, Capital Raise
WH Smith’s stock fell well over 15 percent in Wednesday trading after the company warned of soft sales and profit expectations for the second time this year. “Given the ongoing uncertainty from the Middle East conflict and pressures on gross margins, including the recent deterioration in the North America division,” the company expects profit before tax and non-underlying items of £75 million – £90 million. That’s down from a previous forecast of £90 million to £105 million issued in April, when they suspended their dividend. Due to restructuring across various parts of the company, they expect to take “a significant […]