Two of the biggest releases this week more than lived up to advance billing. Random House announced that George R.R. Martin‘s A DANCE WITH DRAGONS sold 298,000 copies on its first day on sale in North America, comprising 170,000 printed copies, 110,000 ebooks and 18,000 audio units. President and publisher Gina Centrello says in a release the sales are “wildly exceeding our retailers’ most optimistic expectations. With George’s outstanding print edition sales, his readers are clearly indicating they want to place this new hardcover on their bookshelves alongside his earlier volumes.” RHPG publisher of digital content Scott Shannon echoes for the […]
Announcements: Cambridge UP Offers Digital Content Platform For Other Publishers, Cengage & Blackboard
Cambridge University Press will launch a new integrated ebook and digital content platform for other academic publishers, called University Publishing Online, in October. The new platform is based on the ‘Cambridge Books Online’ ebook delivery system, which offers access to thousands of front and backlist PDF titles in a fully searchable environment. Boydell & Brewer, Liverpool University Press, the Mathematical Association of America, and Foundation Books, based in India, are the first publishers to join the new site, with additional partners announced in the coming weeks. Cengage Learning is partnering with Blackboard in an attempt to streamline access to digital […]
Borders Assures Landlords That The Rush To Sell is The Fault of Lenders
Though the myriad of objections filed by landlords by Monday afternoon’s deadline over Borders’ prospective sale to Najafi was par for the course, Borders filed their own response motion in bankruptcy court late Tuesday. In it they say the accelerated sale process owes to GE Capital’s stipulation under the amended financing agreement that the company must find a buyer by July 29 – and have the sale approved by July 22 — lest they default. “The sale simply cannot take place in the timeframe required if there are any further delays in the schedule,” Borders stated. “If the sale does […]
eNews: Android Market Update Features eBooks; AT&T Sponsors Kindle 3G With Special Offers; And More
Google continues to assemble more of an end-to-end ebook strategy. Earlier this week they announced the first ereader integrated with Google eBooks, the iriver Story HD. Not indicated in Google’s own release on Monday, Target has a six-month exclusive on selling the $139.95 device–meaning independent bookstores carrying Google eBooks won’t be able to sell this companion device until after Christmas. It’s led to speculation that Target may carry Google eBooks as well. In the meantime, Google has announced separately an update to its Android Market “over the coming weeks” for mobile devices that provides more an iTunes store experience. Customers […]
Briefs: BBC Takes Big Writedown on Lonely Planet; Collins Buys A&R Franchise Stores
BBC Worldwide write down nearly £34 million (or $54 million) on the value of Lonely Planet, after paying £42 million earlier this year for the remaining 25 percent of the company outside of its control. (The BBC bought a 75 percent stake in 2007 for £89 million.) “The strength of the Australian dollar in recent years has led to challenging sales conditions for the Lonely Planet business,” said the company in a statement. “This has been compounded by declines since 2008 in key travel guide markets suffering from the impact of the global financial crisis.” The rise in the Australian […]
People: Rowling on New Projects; Harris Closing Book on Sookie Stackhouse; and More
JK Rowling said in several interviews to coincide with Friday’s opening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II film that she has written “quite a lot” of new material and has plans to publish it. (Previously she said she was working simultaneously on a political fairytale for children and a novel for adults.) “I think I always felt I didn’t want to publish again until the last film was out because Potter has been such a huge thing in my life. I’ve been writing hard ever since I finished writing Hallows, so I’ve got a lot of stuff […]