Microsoft has launched 8080 Books, an imprint that will “publish original research, ideas, and insights at the intersection of science, technology, and business, and in doing so, help advance the discourse and debate,” according to the charter on their website. “Our initial focus for titles includes: technology and the future; business process and productivity, and societal priorities in law, ethics, and policy.” Named for an early microprocessor, 8080 Books aims to publish print and ebooks faster than traditional publishers. According to Geekwire the company is working with Ingram for POD and distribution. Microsoft vp of communications strategy Steve Clayton will […]
New Books Publishing November 19
This week’s fiction releases include novels by Haruki Murakami and Janet Evanovich. It’s a big week for nonfiction, with new memoirs by Bill Clinton, Cher and Keke Palmer (not to mention Josh Brolin and Jaleel White), plus works by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Alan Lightman. Also publishing this week is Brightly Shining by Ingvild Rishøi, translated from Norwegian by Caroline Waight, excerpted in our Buzz Books 2024: Fall/Winter sampler. 21 works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-november-19 13 works of nonfiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-november-19 From Buzz Books https://buzz.publishersmarketplace.com/ We consult a number of sources in compiling […]
Obituary: Arthur Frommer
Travel guide writer and publisher Arthur Frommer, 95, died on November 18 from complications from pneumonia. After going to law school and serving in the US Army, he wrote Europe on $5 A Day and founded Frommer’s to publish guidebooks in 1957. Frommer’s daughter Pauline Frommer is currently the co-president of Frommer Media and editorial director of Frommer’s Guidebooks. “Throughout his remarkable life, Arthur Frommer democratized travel, showing average Americans how anyone can afford to travel widely and better understand the world,” she wrote in a statement. “I am honored to carry on his work of sharing the world with […]
HBG Acquires Union Square & Co.
Hachette Book Group has purchased Sterling Publishing from Barnes & Noble. The acquisition includes imprints Union Square & Co., Union Square Kids, Boxer Books, Puzzlewright Press, Sterling Ethos, and Spark Notes, as well as stationery publishers. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. The group will continue to be led by Emily Meehan, who will report to Grand Central president and publisher Ben Sevier. According to a release, “All Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.’s staff, publishing assets and trademarks will transfer to Hachette Book Group.” The publisher has approximately 14,500 titles in print and ebook. HBG will assume Union Square’s distribution […]
B&N Workers Rally for Union Contract
On Thursday, Barnes & Noble employees rallied outside of its flagship store and corporate headquarters in Union Square to demand their first contract be reached by the end of the year. The employees of the unionized stores in NYC–Union Square, Park Slope, and the Upper West Side–are members of RWDSU, and were joined by workers from other unionized bookstores including The Strand and McNally Jackson. “The company’s refusal to pay a fair wage has thus far prevented the union from settling the first union contracts and getting union benefits, healthcare, and protection from store closure and relocation,” the union said […]
High Street Will Continue to Become A Smaller Segment at WH Smith
On Thursday, British retailer WH Smith reported sales for the full year ended August 31. For the year, sales rose 7 percent to £1.918 billion with profit before tax and non-underlying items up 16 percent to £166 million. High street sales were “in line with expectations” at £452 million, down 4 percent from £469 million. Profit of £39 million was down from £43 million a year ago. The company made plain what has been clear for a while from their results and their strategy: As they grow the travel business, the high street division—which accounts for about 15 percent of […]