Semiotext(e) founder Sylvère Lotringer (83) died on Monday following a long illness. A critic and theorist who was born in Paris and taught French literature and philosophy at Columbia for 35 years, he began Semiotext(e) in 1974 as a scholarly journal. As an independent publisher, it is known for introducing French theory to American readers.
Online Gift Shop Helps High Street Sales at WH Smith
UK book retailer WH Smith reported preliminary results for the year ended August 31. Overall, sales were £886 million, a decline of 13 percent, with group trading loss of £20m, compared to last year’s loss of £43 million. High Street sales were up slightly at £485m, a 4 percent increase over last year, with High Street trading profit at £19m, up from a loss of (£10m) last year. The lift is attributed to the easing of pandemic lockdowns around the world, and the growth of the company’s websites, particularly the “record performance” of their online greeting card and gift business, […]
People 11/10
At House of Anansi, Michelle MacAleese has become senior managing editor and Grace Shaw joins in the newly created role of production editor. Jessey Glibbery has been promoted to sales manager and Natassja Barry has been promoted to the newly created position of western Canada account manager. Erica Mojzes has been promoted to rights manager and Mariana Linares has been promoted to international sales & rights associate. Sonya Lalli moves into the newly created role of rights specialist at large.
Indigo Up in Second Quarter
On Tuesday morning, Indigo announced results for the second quarter 2022 ended October 2, with sales of CA$239 million, up 16.3 percent from $205 million during the same period last year. The company proudly proclaimed results as above pre-pandemic levels, but that’s due in part to a string of weak reports for this period since 2017, when sales were $224.5 million. But the biggest difference had nothing to do with operating sales: Revenue was bolstered by a one-time payment of $17 million from Starbucks, as Indigo renegotiated their contract and closed a number of in-store cafes. Net earnings for the […]
Imprints: Anna Todd’s Wattpad Line
AFTER author Anna Todd has launched an imprint, Frayed Pages x Wattpad Books. The imprint is the first to launch under the Wattpad Webtoon Book Group and will publish Todd’s books going forward, starting with three titles in 2022, as well as “books by established and emerging writers of commercial fiction.” A release states that “Todd will be involved in every aspect of publication for books published by Frayed Pages x Wattpad Books, from acquisition to launch and promotion” in partnership with consulting publisher Anne Messitte (she’s also consulting publisher at Zibby Books). Messitte will “guide publishing strategy for the […]
New Books Publishing November 9
Louise Erdrich, Ken Follett and John Edgar Wideman lead this week’s fiction releases, while nonfiction includes titles by Will Smith, Emily Ratajkowski and David Graeber and David Wengrow. Also out today is Marc Myers’s Rock Concert, excerpted in our Buzz Books 2021: Fall/Winter sampler. 14 new works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-november-9 https://shop.aer.io/publishers_lunch/cl/New_Fiction_Publishing_November_/220337 23 new nonfiction titles https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-november-9 https://shop.aer.io/publishers_lunch/cl/New_Nonfiction_Publishing_November_/220338 We consult a number of sources in compiling our weekly lists and PM members can see our lists for the coming three months through this reference page. But if you want to make sure your key titles are on our radar, now you can use […]