The Association of American Literary Agents (FKA the Association of Authors’ Representatives) announced a significant revision of their Canon of Ethics, which is the industry’s primary set of guidelines for ethical and appropriate practices in representation. It includes a variety of “clarifications and updates focused on modernizing” the rules, with the organization calling out new “parameters…to allow AALA members to take on paid editorial work for non-client authors while maintaining the organization’s rigorous commitment to the highest standards of ethical representation.” That new standard indicates that “members may provide editorial services in exchange for a fee to authors who are […]
Bookselling: Two Replacement Barnes & Noble Stores to Open
On Monday, May 9 the chain will open an “interim store” in Flagstaff, AZ — filling in for a longstanding location that closed in January, “while a new permanent location is being determined.” Then on May 11, they will open a new standing store in Blue Springs, MO outside of Kansas City, replacing a store in Independence, MO that closed in February.
Bernardini Gets Postponement for “A Mitigation Submission”
A status conference in the case of accused manuscript thief Filippo Bernardini has been postponed for the second time at the request of the defense, now rescheduled from May 4 to July 6. Federal defender Hannah McCrea wrote that “the defense is preparing a mitigation submission” and wants more time to complete the package “and give the government time to consider it.” The previous postponement was for the defense to “complete review of the discovery that has been produced.”
About Last Week (The Sales)
That supposed “nosedive” in print sales the week after Easter was…completely normal. As NPD Books analyst writes in their weekly media report, “The week after Easter always sees a significant drop of more than 20%, and this year was no exception. It’s perfectly normal.” In fact, “The week after Easter always sees a drop of 20% to 28%.” This year, “Volume was down 24% from last week but was up 10% over the same week in 2019, which was also an Easter week and therefore is a helpful gauge of where we are relative to pre-pandemic numbers…. The week after […]
At Macmillan, Weisberg to Step Aside in 2023 and Yaged to Run US
Macmillan Publishers ceo Don Weisberg will step aside from that position at the end of 2022, and current president of Macmillan Publishers US Jon Yaged will succeed him as CEO in the US. Weisberg will serve “in an advisory capacity to Stefan von Holtzbrinck” starting in January 2023. Weisberg says in the announcement: “Today, with all we’re accomplishing at Macmillan, I can, without hesitation, say that there could be no better time for me to step aside. We are coming off two record-breaking years of unprecedented growth and profit; we have improved every facet of our operation at a time […]
Higher Ed Sales Still Falling, As Pearson Rises Overall
Pearson gave a brief first quarter trading update on Friday. Their actual textbook publishing business, reported through the higher ed segment and still their second-largest division, was down 5 percent, “due to expected declines in US Higher Education reflecting the continued decline in enrollments and courses per enrollment.” International textbook businesses that are up for sale (“under strategic review” in corporate-speak) fell by 11 percent, “as expected.” But overall “underlying sales” — which leave aside currency exchange, which can have a big influence on their actual results, rose 7 percent in the period. Separately, the company announced another new acquisition, […]