Today we report on dealmaking statistics for both the fourth quarter of 2022 as well as the full year — which means that most of our focus is on the annual trends. To recap: The first quarter continued the boom from 2021, setting a new record for overall deal volume, as reported six-figure transactions softened a little to the second-best quarter in years. The second quarter hewed more closely to the sales pattern for print books, with deal volume declining 9.1 percent, but still well ahead of previous years, as reported six-figure deals held flat with 2021, still at record […]
Distribution: Pan Macmillan
In a logical move, Pan Macmillan’s full list will be distributed in the US by Macmillan itself, starting in July. The UK imprints have been distributed in the US by Trafalgar Square Publishing, part of IPG.
Bookselling: Another Longtime BN Closes
The latest closing announcement: The Barnes & Noble in Paramus, NJ will close February 11 after 28 years in that location because “the landlord has chosen not to renew our lease and will be redeveloping the site.” The store said online, “Unfortunately we don’t have a location for our new building yet, but we will be back.”
Second Best: Good Final Sales Week Leaves 2022 Print Sales Well Ahead of 2020
In the final sales week of the year, NPD Bookscan recorded print sales of approximately 16.3 million units — even with the same week in 2021, and well ahead of previous years. That was the second week in a row that sales equaled or exceeded sales from 2021, providing a strong finish to the important holiday sales period that ran stronger than preceding months. For the six-week holiday period, tracked print sales were approximately 4.6 percent below 2021, totaling close to 140 million units. That put tracked print sales for all of 2022 at a strong 780 million units — […]
Manuscript Thief Bernardini Pleads Guilty to One Count of Wire Fraud
A year after he was arrested and charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to a years-long manuscript phishing scam, Filippo Bernardini pleaded guilty in Federal Court to one count of wire fraud. As part of his plea, he agreed to pay restitution of $88,000. Bernardini will be sentenced by District Judge Colleen McMahon on April 5. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. But his lawyer, public defender Hannah McCrea, said he will likely face a sentence of 15 to 21 months imprisonment under recommended sentencing guidelines and in an agreement with the […]
Unspared: Harry’s Memoir Is Out, and The Sales Watch Begins
The embargo for Prince Harry’s memoir SPARED fell, first in a trickle — the Guardian “obtained” an early copy — and then in a flood, as the edition in Spain accidentally went on sale early, on Thursday. The book will officially launch on Jan. 10 with strong pre-orders, but the guessing game is on over the potential strength of continuing sales. Random House has said it is printing 2 million copies, and Barnes & Noble ceo James Daunt is talking it up (which makes perfect sense): “Customer preorders have been crazy,” he told the WSJ. “It’s going to blow up […]