Random House announced changes to the contract terms for their start-up digital imprints Hydra, Alibi, Flirt, and Loveswept on Tuesday morning, following pointed criticism from the Science Fiction Writers of America, the Horror Writers of America and other author group representatives. The company is adjusting the charges made under their profit-sharing contract model, and also offering authors a separate, more traditional advance-plus-royalty contract model. The advance-plus-royalty model follows a traditional contract model: Random House’s “standard ebook royalty of 25 percent of net receipts” along with an agreed-upon advance, with the imprints covering all production, shipping, and marketing costs. In the […]
Bookselling: Porter Square Books Seeks New Owner; Michael Vick Signings Cancelled After Threats of Violence
Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA has been put up for sale after more than nine years in business, as its owners are looking to retire. “We’ve really been able to establish Porter Square Books as a vital community institution,” bookstore president Carol Stoltz told WickedLocal. “We have embraced e-books, author events, sidelines and even a café — all things a successful book store needs to have in the 21st century.” Porter Square added they have allocated “a significant timeframe to find just the right next owner of the store.” At least three scheduled appearances at Barnes & Noble stores […]
People, Awards, Etc.
Edward Necarsulmer IV and Eleanor Jackson have joined Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. Necarsulmer was previously an agent at MacIntosh & Otis, and will focus on representing middle grade, YA, and adult literary fiction. Jackson was most recently an agent at Markson Thoma, which last week saw partner Geri Thoma move to Writers House. The UK’s Carnegie Medal for children’s literature features a powerhouse shortlist that includes Costa winner Sally Gardner, Printz winner Nick Lake and medalist Elizabeth Wein: THE WEIGHT OF WATER, Sarah Crossan A GREYHOUND OF A GIRL, Roddy Doyle MAGGOT MOON, Sally Gardner IN DARKNESS, Nick Lake WONDER, […]
Vintage Will Publish EL James’ INNER GODDESS Journal on May 1
EL James will publish a new book in 2013 after all, as Vintage announces a May 1 publication date for FIFTY SHADES OF GREY: INNER GODDESS (A Journal). The “collaboration between James and her US publisher” will be released as a “bonded-leather softcover journal” that will “offer readers and aspiring writers a place where they can record their innermost thoughts.” The book, which will have a 125,000-copy first printing, includes a foreword by James, excerpts from her FIFTY SHADES novels, writing tips, a writing playlist, and lined pages for writing.
More HarperCollins Financials Revealed
News Corp.’s February second quarter earnings report gave no numbers on the performance of HarperCollins–but an amended proxy statement outlining more details on the planned publishing division spinoff (aka New News Corp) provided real financial data on the book publisher’s fiscal 2013 so far. For the second quarter, Harper sales were $377 million, up 25 percent from $301 million a year ago, with EBITDA of $51 million, up 24 percent from $41 million the previous year. In the original filing, posted on December 20, Harper reported first quarter sales of $352 million and EBITDA of $40 million. For both quarters, the […]
Australia Approves Penguin Random House Merger
The Penguin Random House merger cleared another regulatory hurdle Friday morning as Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission will approve the deal, the two publishing houses announced Friday. “Bertelsmann and Pearson welcome this ruling as an important step on the path towards completing the planned transaction,” the companies said in a joint statement, adding they “are confident of receiving [the] approvals” from other international antitrust regulatory bodies “over the course of the year.” New Zealand’s Competition Commission, which was also expected to arrive at a decision by the end of this week, has postponed the date to April 5. And as […]