In a status conference Wednesday afternoon that lasted all of five minutes, no decisions were made with respect to the Google Book Settlement, as all parties wanted more time to reach some sort of agreement. Bruce Keller, representing the Authors Guild and the AAP and speaking on behalf of “all parties,” told the court that “the parties are still considering options. They have not made any decisions. Everything being discussed between them is on the table.” Judge Chin set a new hearing date of July 19 at 10:00 AM in response to Keller’s assertion that parties would need an additional […]
Glenn Beck and S&S Expand Partnership and Add Imprint
Glenn Beck may be leaving the Fox News Network later this year but his longstanding relationship with Simon & Schuster will continue and expand thanks to a new co-publishing venture with his production company Mercury Radio Arts. Mercury Ink will launch this August as an imprint that aims “to discover, publish and promote books and authors that [Beck] is passionate about across a variety of genres,” co-publishing with Simon & Schuster. Beck says in the announcement, “While I have a million book ideas of my own, there are still countless subjects that I know my audience would love to read […]
Earnings: Pan Macmillan Q1 Digital Sales at 8 Percent; Digital Spending Causes Q4 Earnings Drop for Indigo
Pan Macmillan said digital sales for the first quarter of 2011 made up 8 percent of total revenue, and they expect that number to rise to about 10 percent for the full fiscal year. (That puts them at the high end of UK publishers disclosing ebook sales so far.) Over the same period, the publisher’s sales of print books have also shown “double-digit sales growth.” The Bookseller In contrast, in a statement timed with their annual meeting, Quarto said US ebook sales of their illustrated books are heading towards a projected 2 percent of sales. They add, “there is talk […]
People: Dolan Gets New Imprint at HMH, and More
In what has to be considered a case of turnabout being fair play, Eamon Dolan will leave Penguin Press for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to become VP and Editorial Director of his own imprint, Eamon Dolan Books, starting on June 13. Before he’d moved to Penguin Press as editor-in-chief in 2007 – a title removed with Scott Moyers’ return earlier this month as publisher, with Ann Godoff taking on editor-in-chief duties – Dolan held the same title at what was then Houghton Mifflin, editing books by Eric Schlosser, Buzz Bissinger, Jerome Groopman and David Sheff. The new imprint will concentrate on […]
People, Awards, Etc.
Emma Donoghue and Michael Winter are among the nominees for Canada’s Trillium Book Awards, whose winners will be announced on June 17. National Post Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor reported receiving an advance of $1.175 million from Knopf for her forthcoming memoir last year, according to financial disclosure forms. Newspapers report the sum as if it is the entire advance, but our readers will know it likely represents only a third or a fourth of the total advance to be paid over time. A $1 million advance is what the NY Post is reporting Jennifer Hudson and agent Mel Berger […]
Bookselling: The Travel Bookshop For Sale; Fire At Ben Franklin Bookstore; and More
The Written Word will open in Brush, CO in August in a 1500-square foot space, with owner Marlene Gippin focused on bringing a “community-based and affordable” store to the town. Fort Morgan Times A fire broke out on May 27 at Ben Franklin Bookstore in Salem, Mass., causing severe damage to the store and to its inventory of books and killing one of two cats known to be in the building (the other was still missing.) The bookstore announced earlier this year it was going out of business. Worcester Star-Telegram The Travel Bookshop in London’s Notting Hill neighborhood is for […]