Pearson announced their year-end trading report featuring sales highlights for 2021 (the full year-end report will be available on February 25), with results “ahead of expectations.” Group sales rose 8 percent overall, led by everything that isn’t actual education publishing: Assessment & Qualifications (18 percent), English Language Learning (17 percent), Virtual Learning (11 percent) and Workforce Skills (6 percent), due to Covid recovery and growth in virtual learning enrollment in the 2020-21 school year. The Higher Education segment remained weak, down (5) percent, attributed to a decline in US courseware. That line fell 12 percent in both 2020 and 2019. […]
Acquisitions: Paperblanks to Hachette UK
Hachette UK has acquired notebook publisher Paperblanks. The terms of the deal were not announced. Paperblanks, which is headquartered in Dublin and has co-branding partnerships with the Getty Museum and New York Public Library, will operate as a standalone business under Hachette UK, reporting to deputy group ceo Richard Kitson. Paperblanks founder and ceo Victor Marks will step down, and regional ceo and group cfo Graham Conway will become ceo. Hachette UK ceo David Shelley said: “I believe that there are fantastic opportunities for us as a book publisher in acquiring and developing adjunct businesses. Since we acquired Laurence King […]
UK Postpones Decision on Copyright Exhaustion
The UK will not change its rules for copyright exhaustion of intellectual property, for now. The government’s Intellectual Property Office has closed its consultation on the possibility of parallel trade, which would allow print books to be resold internationally without publisher permission (which is the law of the land in the US). “Unfortunately, there is not enough data available to understand the economic impact of any of the alternatives to the current UK+ regime,” the IPO stated. “As a result, it has not been possible to make a decision based on the criteria originally intended. However, the government remains committed […]
New Books Publishing January 18
Titles by Weike Wang and Jacquelyn Mitchard lead this week’s fiction releases, while nonfiction includes new work from Bernardine Evaristo and Zora Neale Hurston’s essays. 16 new works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-january-18 https://shop.aer.io/publishers_lunch/cl/New_Fiction_Publishing_January_/221340 16 new nonfiction titles https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-january-18 https://shop.aer.io/publishers_lunch/cl/New_Nonfiction_Publishing_January_/221341 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 this form to submit brief details as well: publun.ch/submitNotable. Please submit your notable titles at least 3 months prior to pub date.
CAA-ICM Merger Postponed Amid Justice Inquiry
CAA’s acquisition of ICM, originally planned to be completed by the end of 2021, has been delayed as the Department of Justice’s antitrust division questions the deal’s “impact on the entertainment industry,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. They cite “multiple sources familiar with the matter.” The parties now hope to close the merger in Q2 2022.
AWP Reassessing In-Person Conference
The Association of Writers & Writing Programs is reconsidering its in-person conference and book fair, currently scheduled for March 23-26 in Philadelphia, due to rising Covid cases. While no decision has been made about canceling, the organization is working with its hotel partners and the city of Philadelphia to determine next steps, and the link to register for the event has been disabled. AWP had planned for a simultaneous virtual version of the conference, with some in-person events livestreamed and some prerecorded virtual events. In December, AWP updated its safety policy, stating that all attendees must be vaccinated, per Philadelphia’s […]