Minister of Canadian Heritage the Honorable Pablo Rodriguez announced The Support for Booksellers initiative, intended to help Canadian bookstores increase their ability to sell books online as a result of the pandemic. Part of the Canada Book Fund, which supports books by Canadian authors, the initiative will give $32.1 million to bookstores over two years, “for expenses related to online book sales and to help these bookstores improve their online business models.” “During the pandemic, Canadians bought more Canadian books, proving that our authors and publishers are more important than ever in sharing our stories,” Rodriguez said. “Our government is proud to […]
AAP Reports Adult Sales Flat, Children’s Up in January
The AAP announced statistics for January from their participating StatShot publishers, reporting total sales across the industry of $1.3 billion, 3.7 percent higher than last year. Trade sales were up 4.3 percent to $720.6 million. Adult sales were almost flat at $461.9 million, a 0.6 percent increase over January 2021, while children’s and YA sales continued to increase to $194 million, a 12 percent gain. Within children’s, hardcovers were up 11.5 percent, paperbacks were up 23.6 percent while ebooks fell 17.8 percent. In print, overall trade hardcover sales were $261.4 million, up 6.9 percent, and paperbacks sales were $250.6 million, […]
Apollo Has Been Trying to Acquire Pearson
Private equity company Apollo Global Management has tried twice to purchase educational publisher Pearson since last November. Pearson declined an 800 pence per share in November and another offer of 854.2 pence per share on March 7, finding that Apollo “significantly undervalued the Company and its future prospects.” On Friday, following online rumors, Apollo said formally that it “notes the recent market speculation in relation to Pearson and confirms it is in the preliminary stages of evaluating a possible cash offer by certain of Apollo’s affiliated funds” to buy Pearson. Under London Stock Exchange rules, Apollo has until April 8 […]
WNDB and HBG Launch Program to Support Mid-Career Professionals
We Need Diverse Books has partnered with Hachette Book Group and Beacon Press to launch Rise Up: Retention Program for Diverse Mid-Level Publishing Professionals, inspired by Lee & Low’s 2019 Diversity Baseline Survey. “The survey’s data highlights the importance of retaining diverse mid-level publishing professionals since many leave the industry within three to six years, due to barriers like toxic workplace environments, lack of room for career growth, and unsustainable pay,” WNDB said in a release. Sponsored by HBG and Beacon Press and geared toward both adult and children’s staffers, Rise Up builds on the WNDB Internship Grant Program, which was […]
International Booker Prize Longlist
Thirteen novels were longlisted for the International Booker Prize.
At ABA Snow Days, Booksellers Imagine the Future
In the opening keynote at ABA’s virtual bookselling conference Snow Days, How to Imagine the Future of Bookselling, booksellers engaged in “mental time travel” to practice imaging the future of the industry. Jane McGonigal, author of Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything—Even Things that Seem Impossible Today, discussed the benefits of imagining the future, recognized that previously unthinkable things have happened, and explained how imagining the future contributes to mental well-being and can help people “plan and prepare” what’s coming. McGonigle also walked viewers through exercises in mental time travel. In one, attendees were […]