Next week, BookScan will complete its transition from the old Nielsen platform to the NPD system and at outset, the biggest adjustment for users may be getting accustomed to system updates on a different day of the week. At launch, BookScan’s weekly data will be refreshed on Thursdays instead of Wednesdays. That change may only be temporary. “The goal is to bring the SLA back to Wednesday sometime in the weeks ahead,” said NPD Book President Jonathan Stolper. The rollout of the new, integrated BookScan tracking system on the NPD platform comes nearly two years after the company’s purchase from […]
Kaplan to Swallow Barron’s Test Books
Kaplan Test Prep has acquired key assets of longtime rival Barron’s Educational Series, including the test prep, study aid, and foreign language assets, as well as the Barron’s brand name. The acquisition comprises about 650 of Barron’s more than 2,000 titles, also including their reference, business, and law titles. As Newsday notes, “The purchase combines two of the oldest and best-known brands in educational services and test-prep books in a market that is becoming increasingly competitive.” Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Following the merger, Kaplan’s new assets will still carry the Barron name, operating as a distinct brand. […]
EU Parliament Vote Moves Controversial Copyright Law Forward
The EU Parliament passed the Copyright Directive, containing two controversial provisions intended to ensure publishers and content creators get paid when their content is shared on internet platforms such as Facebook, Google, and YouTube. While the vote is significant, particularly considering that Parliament rejected a different version in July — it’s far from final. As the Guardian and others report, the law will now go to three-way negotiations with the European Commission and the Council of the European Union. The European Parliament will vote one final time in January. Article 11 (referred to as the “link tax”) allows publishers to […]
Wiley Reports Modest Q1 Decline in Overall Publishing
Wiley reported results for the first fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2018, with GAAP revenue of $411 million, a 1 percent decline versus the prior year, and operating income of $36 million, a $24 million increase from a year ago, when the company had taken a restructuring charge. Overall publishing sales were slightly lower, continuing the trend from last year. STM and professional publishing sales of $66 million were up 3 percent from $63.6 a year ago. Those gains were offset by a decline in educational publishing sales, down 16% to $38.2 million. “First quarter performance was consistent with our […]