Italian publishing giant RCS, which owns Rizzoli and Corriere della Serra, has confirmed what a number of stories out of Europe had been reporting for the past few days: they are exploring the possibility of selling off Flammarion in France, which it has owned since 2000. RCS said Friday in a statement obtained by Bloomberg that there will be a preliminary review of any expression of interest “in relation to assets not straightly included in the core business, comprising Flammarion, and non-core assets.” Earlier this week EconomiaWeb reported that Gallimard expressed an interest in buying Flammarion, with RCS seeking at […]
People, Etc.
Publisher of Cormorant Books Marc Côté has also been named publisher of Thomas Allen, effective March 1. He replaces Patrick Crean, who is leaving after more than 12 years with the company. “I feel I have accomplished the goals I set out to achieve…namely to launch and establish a thriving new independent publishing house that is nationally recognized for its award-winning and critically well-received books,” Crean said in a statement. “I also feel that in this time of historic change in the book industry, it is a good moment for me to pause and reflect on the essentials of book […]
Apple Launches iBooks2, “A New Textbook Experience For The iPad”, Opens Door to Self-Published Illustrated Books
Apple svp of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller led off Apple’s much-anticipated “education announcement” at New York’s Guggenheim Museum Thursday morning, before a strictly-limited but modestly-sized audience of about 150 invitees and members of the press. (Though focused on education, guests included multiple heads of trade houses.) “This is really special for everyone at Apple, because today’s event is about education. Education is deep in our DNA and has been from the very beginning.” Schiller said that “as students are starting to be introduced to iPad in learning, some really remarkable things are beginning to happen.” That was true to an […]
Briefs: Penguin’s “Strong Holiday As Pearson Ups Earnings Guidance; Grand Central’s New Digital Romance Imprint; and More
Pearson won’t report its preliminary annual earnings until February 27 but Thursday the company provided a short trading update indicating that for the year as a whole, Pearson generated approximately £2 billion in digital revenues and approximately £600m in revenues in emerging markets. They also expect to exceed their full year earnings guidance by 10 percent (with the original forecast being 83p per share), attributing the good news to “rapid growth in digital services, our expanding position in developing economies and the continuing transformation of our business portfolio.” Penguin’s results are said to be “strong” during the holidays, with expectations […]
Coming Soon: Baseball Novel From Grisham; Picture Book from Jill Biden; and More
Doubleday announced an April 10 publication date for John Grisham‘s next novel CALICO JOE, set within the world of major league baseball in 1973. USA TODAY Simon & Schuster Children’s will release DON’T FORGET NANA, GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS, a picture book by vice president Joe Biden’s wife Jill Biden, on June 5. The AP reports the book, illustrated by Raul Colon, is “told from the point of view of granddaughter Natalie Biden and a tribute to soldiers and their families.” In a brief interview Biden said: “I really feel that you write your best about what you know best…That’s […]
People, Etc.
At McGraw-Hill Professional, Knox Huston has been promoted to senior editor in the Business Group. The Bent Agency is opening a UK branch, run by Molly Ker Hawn, who will be representing authors of YA and middle grade fiction exclusively for both the UK and US markets. She has had editorial roles at Chronicle and Dial and was national programs director for the Children’s Book Council. Rachel Fershleiser has joined Tumblr, where she specializes in outreach to authors, publishers, and literary organizations. She was previously community manager at Bookish. Anne Tyler has won the 2012 Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence, […]