F+W Media continues its expansion by acquiring Aspire Media, parent company of digital art and craft enthusiast media company Interweave, from private equity firms Frontenac Company, Catalyst Investors, Clay Hall, and several members of the Interweave management team. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but F+W ceo David Nussbaum calls it “a transformative acquisition” that “makes us a dominant player in craft and art in books, magazines, ecommerce, and ultimately online TV and other initiatives.” The new units will make F+W 30 percent larger in revenues. Frontenac managing director Walter Florence has joined the F+W Media board of directors, while Interweave ceo […]
People, Etc.
At S&S Children’s, Hannah Buchsbaum has joined Little Simon as associate editor. Previously she was at Disney Press. Michael Rediker is joining Books-a-Million as corporate development analyst, responsible for identifying, analyzing and implementing strategic corporate initiatives within the organization, including new business growth opportunities. He will report to evp James Turner. He was most recently with the investment banking firm Paces Battle Group. Author Maeve Binchy, 72, died after what was reported as a short illness. Ireland’s RTE says she sold over 40 million books in 42 languages. Ireland’s president Michael Higgins called her “an outstanding novelist, short story writer and columnist” and […]
Bookselling: Chester County Books & Music May Close; Borders Australia Rebrands as BookWorld; and More
Chester County Books & Music in West Chester, PA may close now that landlords for the store’s 28,000-square foot space found new tenants. Owner Kathy Simoneaux told the Pottstown Mercury that the lease for the space they have occupied since 1987 expired in January and the store has been renting on a month-to-month basis ever since. The decision to leave was “mutual” as the rent increased too much for Simoneaux to keep paying. While closure seemed likely, Simoneaux says she has been “approached by different parties about continuing to run an independent operation elsewhere” and thus she “started to reconsider” getting […]
HMH Halts Publication of IMAGINE After Jonah Lehrer Acknowledges Fabricating Bob Dylan Quotes
More than a month after admitting to recycling material from previous articles into his New Yorker blog posts, Jonah Lehrer has resigned from the magazine, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has taken ebook editions of Lehrer’s newest book IMAGINE, published last April, off the market, halted shipment of physical copies, and is “exploring further options” with respect to IMAGINE’s continuing publication. The latest developments emerged after a report in Tablet demonstrated Lehrer fabricated a number of quotes attributed to Bob Dylan in IMAGINE, and that he obfuscated the truth to journalist Michael Moynihan for several weeks before finally admitting to the […]
People, Etc.: Atria Partners With Short Books on Marble Arch Press
In its first international co-publishing agreement, Atria will publish approximately 12 titles annually in print and digital formats from UK publisher Short Books’ list under the banner Marble Arch Press. The fall list will launch with The J M Barrie Ladies’ Swimming Society by Barbara J Zitwer, The House on Paradise Street by Sofka Zinovieff, and For the Love of Letters by John O’Connell. Atria executive vp and publisher Judith Curr said in the announcement: “Even as digital distribution and marketing take on ever-greater importance in our industry, quality content remains the driving force in successful publishing. The Short Books […]
Amazon Reports Groundhog Day Earnings: Sales Grow 29 Percent, Profits Fall to Almost Nothing
Amazon reported second quarter earnings after the close of the market Tuesday, and once again stuck to a script that has prevailed for a string of previous earnings reports: growing sales while producing very little income. The company reported revenues of $12.83 billion (up 29 percent, and taking into account unfavorable foreign exchanges that cost them $272 million in sales) and net income of just $7 million, down a big 96 percent (from $191 million) compared to a year ago. Some of the hit in profits came from a one-time estimated net loss of $65 million related to its acquisition of […]