Amazon’s new restrictions on ebook returns will be rolled out in the US by the end of the month, the Authors Guild reports. The policy, encouraged by the Guild and announced in September, will limit automatic returns on books where more than 10 percent has been read. This change to the policy was supposed to […]
People 1/20
At Scholastic, Rachel Schwartz has joined as director of cross channel marketing. Previously she was director of program and product marketing at Scholastic Book Fairs.
November Trade Sales Fell 14 Percent
The AAP released their StatShot data for November, with reporting publishers showing $792 million in trade sales, down 14 percent (or $133 million) from 2021. Adult sales were $551 million, a 13 percent decrease from $634 million the previous year. Almost the entire shortfall — $73 million — came from lower hardcover sales. Children’s sales […]
Manhattan DA Warns S&S About Book From Trump Prosecutor
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg issued a letter on Wednesday to Simon & Schuster warning the publisher that the forthcoming book PEOPLE VS. DONALD TRUMP: AN INSIDE ACCOUNT by Mark Pomerantz, slated for publication on Feb. 7, could violate confidentiality rules and jeopardize continuing investigations of Trump. Pomerantz was a prosecutor in the criminal investigation […]
Harper Union Discusses Bargaining, Pay, Union Security
As the Harper Collins union prepares to rally outside News Corp headquarters today, marking their 50th day on strike, union chair and senior production editor Laura Harshberger updated Hell Gate and spoke about what it means to have union protections. While the union has demanded an increase in starting pay from $45,000 to $50,000, the […]
WH Smith Gains in Airport Stores, As High Street Still Slides Further
WH Smith released a trading report for the 20 weeks ended January 14, with sales up 41 percent over last year and 20 percent over 2019, driven by the continuing recovery in their travel stores. High Street sales, however, continued their long fade; revenues were down 2 percent from 2022, and 14 percent from 2019, […]