After helping to spur a European Commission investigation into Amazon’s ebook contracts with publishers, announced this June, Germany’s Publishers and Booksellers Association filed a new complaint with Germany’s Cartel Office and the EC. Now they are asking for additional scrutiny of Amazon’s Audible subsidiary, accusing the company of misusing the leverage from a near-monopoly in digital audiobooks. German accounts claim Audible wants to move publishers to a “flat-rate” service, and has threatened to stop offering publishers’ product if they do not agree to the new terms. Association head Alexander Skipis says, “The business model of Amazon and Audible is aimed […]
Audio
Next, Scribd Curtails Unlimited Audiobooks
Following substantial reductions in their catalog of romance titles at the end of June, Scribd announced in a blog post last Friday a substantial curtailment of the distinctive unlimited audiobooks included in their monthly subscription offering. As of September 20, subscribers will be limited to a single audiobook per month from one part of the collection. To listen to a second audiobook within the same subscription month, members will have to pay the equivalent of another month’s fee — positioned as purchasing an “audio credit” for $8.99. At the same time, Scribd says they will keep some kind of catalog […]
Recorded Books Is Sold to Another Private Equity Owner
Wasserstein & Co. has sold Recorded Books — which incorporates their earlier purchases of HighBridge Audio and Tantor Media — to LA-based private equity firm Shamrock Capital Advisors. Shamrock’s investment portfolio includes Isolation Network, the parent company of INScribe Digital. Terms were not disclosed, though Wasserstein was thought to have paid approximately $25 million for Tantor Media at the beginning of this year. Dow Jones says that Shamrock typically invests anywhere from $15 million up to $100 million. The price was not released when Wasserstein first bought Recorded Books from Haights Cross in 2014, either. In the last reported data, […]
People, Etc.
Wendy McCurdy will return to Kensington, as editorial director, starting August 3. She was previously an executive editor at Berkley and prior to that a senior editor at Bantam Dell after starting her career at Kensington’s Zebra Books. Philip Turner has returned to his roots as a bookseller, working at the new Rizzoli Bookstore in New York, which opens on July 27. He continues to operate his editorial service and publishing consultancy Philip Turner Book Productions as well. Mark Thomas has joined Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as senior vice president of engineering, based in New York, leading global software development and driving the effective delivery of HMH’s digital products. He reports to […]
People, Etc.
Jeff James will join Thomas Nelson as vp, marketing for Nelson Books on June 29. Previously he was the founder and ceo of Mythology, a marketing consulting practice for Fortune 500 firms. Steven Sussman will join Skyhorse as director of sales on June 29. Previously he was director of sales at Dover Publications. Antonella Pearce joins IPR License as business development manager. She was at the Publishers Licensing Society (PLS). J.K. Rowling has written extensively about the “reactionary, prejudiced, narrow-minded, ignorant and bigoted” Dursley family and their deep-seated resentment of Harry Potter on Pottermore, covered here by the Guardian. Partnerships […]
Corporate: Pearson Sells Family Education Network Sites, Harlequin Launches Audio
Pearson has sold their Family Education Network — the group of websites for kids that includes Poptropica and Funbrain — to UK-based private equity company Sandbox Partners for undisclosed terms. Founded last year, Sandbox is run by former president of Pearson English Bhav Singh. Pearson spokesperson Brendan O’Grady said the sale is part of a “shift to focus on the Pearson products and services with the biggest potential impact on learning outcomes.” But he noted Pearson will still use Poptropica characters in a number of their English-language learning products. Author Jeff Kinney, who co-founded Poptropica while working at FEN and continues as Poptropica’s creative […]