Bloomsbury India will start publishing in November, drawing on titles from the company’s UK and US lists. Rajiv Beri is managing director; Diya KarHazra is trade publisher, and Amit Bhatia is academic and professional publisher. Douglas Markham, recently fired by Books-a-Million from his position as evp and chief administrative officer, alleges through attorney Mark White that “for some time, BAMM has made it known to our client that the company did not support his service to the US Navy.” Markham is a captain, and as BAMM had reported previously, was on leave for part of 2009 while on active duty […]
Penguin Sues MacAdam/Cage For Licensing Vreeland eBook Rights They Never Legally Acquired
A case quietly filed in New York Supreme Court this summer demonstrates the perils of issuing previously published works as ebooks without all parties being crystal clear on who controls those rights. At issue is the ebook edition of Susan Vreeland’s 1999 bestseller GIRL IN HYACINTH BLUE, originally published by McMurray & Beck (later absorbed into MacAdam/Cage). In the breach of contract complaint filed on June 20, the novel’s paperback publisher Penguin is suing MacAdam/Cage, alleging the small press licensed Penguin ebook rights that they did not control. The original licensing agreement between Penguin and McMurray & Beck made no […]
Scholastic’s First Quarter Revenues Drop As Hunger Games Sales Level Off
Scholastic reported results for their fiscal 2013 first quarter, ending August 31, with both sales and earnings declining in what the company acknowledges is always the slowest part of the year–and one in which they typically record a loss. Sales dropped 7.7 percent to $293.6 million, and their seasonal operating loss was $47.5 million (or $1.02 a share), markedly worse than the $33.2 million loss from a year ago. Revenue in the children’s book publishing and distribution division also declined 8 percent for the quarter, to $71.1 million, reflecting “lower sales of Harry Potter relative to a year ago when […]
Frances Coady Launches Brightline, With Backing from Diller and Rudin, and Collaboration from the Atavist
After months of rumors, there are at least vague details about the ebook publishing plans of IAC chairman Barry Diller and film producer Scott Rudin. They have formed Brightline, led by Frances Coady–who left Picador, where she was president and publisher, in a February restructuring after 12 years at the imprint–with $20 million in funding from IAC. In parallel, the NYT reports, there is a partnership between Brightline and The Atavist, in which the two “will exchange an undetermined amount of minority equity interests in each other’s ventures” and publish together in an otherwise undefined partnership. The two companies will […]
People, Etc.
Editorial director of Rizzoli Paolo Zaninoni is leaving after almost ten years at the company. General manager of RCS trade books Massimo Turchetta will replace Zainoni on an interim basis. In addtion, Federica Magro has been named manager of Bur and Vintage paperbacks. Previously she was an editor at Mondadori. At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Liesa Abrams has been promoted to executive editor and moves from Aladdin to Simon Pulse, though she will continue to edit Aladdin’s Dork Diaries, Unwanteds and Beyonders. In addition, Annette Pollert moves up to editor, while Karen Nagel has been promoted to executive editor at […]
People, Etc.
Books-A-Million evp, chief administrative officer and secretary Douglas Markham has left the company and his contract was terminated, effective immediately, according to SEC fillings. Markham joined the company as cfo in 2006 and was promoted to his current position in August 2009. No other details on his departure were available. Richard Milbank will join Head of Zeus as publishing director, non-fiction, on September 24, where he will oversee publication of more than 30 titles annually, focusing on history, biography, science, philosophy and language. He was publishing director at Octopus, a position he held since January. Maria B. Campbell Associates has […]