Former president of Scholastic’s children’s book publishing and consultant Barbara Marcus has been working with Open Road as an adviser for children’s publishing and is in Frankfurt with the Open Road team. She “will help spearhead” their entrance into the children’s market as well as advise on international business development and general strategic issues. Her first acquisition is ebook editions of The Boxcar Children, the classic series that comprises 123 titles. The first 19 will be available for this Christmas; the balance of the line will come to market during 2011. Marcus says in the announcement, “I believe that Open […]
Book Fairs
Open Road and Cursor Announce Lists, and More Imprint News
Open Road has announced four titles that they will publish this fall as ebook originals: Jonathon King’s MIDNIGHT GUARDIANS, the sixth book in his Edgar Award- winning Max Freeman mystery series (along with ebook versions of the first five Freeman mysteries and two standalone novels)Mary Glickman’s first novel, HOME IN THE MORNINGGenre veteran Alan Dean Foster’s memoir PREDATORS I HAVE KNOWNEntertainment journalist Jo Piazza’s CELEBRITY INC. With world rights to all the titles, publisher Brendan Cahill will represent publishing rights at the Frankfurt Book Fair, with co-founder Jeff Sharp representing film/TV rights. Separately, Richard Nash‘s long-discussed start-up Cursor may actually […]
Frankfurt Exhibitor and Agent Numbers Rise
When Book Fair officials indicated in September that the total number of exhibitors for this year’s convention was likely to fall by about 5 percent a European wire started played up the “decline” as a digital casualty. But at today’s opening press conference, the Fair said that total exhibitors are actually up, at 7,533, a three percent increase over last year. But that number isn’t particularly meaningful since, as in previous years, the full fair will comprise the exact same amount of exhibition space. “Strong demand” for tables in the Literary Agents Center (and the volcanically-quiet London Book Fair this […]
Pre-Frankfurt Analysis: Where the Deals, and Aren’t
With the Frankfurt Book Fair officially opening on Wednesday (and dealmaking already underway at the Frankfurter Hof), “mood”-watchers like the Guardian are already proclaiming last year’s recession-induced “austerity” over. Publisher of Harper UK’s Blue Door Patrick Janson Smith says, “People have short memories. It was instant panic last year but now it’s back to business.” But the schedule has also affected the key pre-Frankfurt selling season. With a late Labor Day followed quickly by the Jewish holidays and an earlier-than-usual Frankfurt itself, there have been barely a few “shopping weeks” prior to this year’s fair. We decided to look past […]
Briefs: Frankfurt Exhibitor Count Slides; Best Buy to Add Kindles; Canada to Look at iBookstore
* The Frankfurt Book Fair will have 6,930 exhibitors–about five percent fewer than last year–and thus, in the current press mood, like Barnes & Noble and printed books, considered “declining” and barely shy of extinction due to ebooks. The Fair says the drop is mostly due to a smaller group of publishers from this year’s guest Argentina, compared to last year’s big delegation from China. Which is a bit disingenuous, since they also blame the economic slowdown and cite declines from Eastern Europe as well. But if you look at stats from the last decade or so, the exhibitor totals […]
People, Etc.
Jeanette Limondjian is leaving Barnes & Noble this week “to start the next chapter in her life.” She has been with the company for over 40 years, starting creating store windows and writing radio ad copy and most recently serving as vp, editor at large and new business development at Sterling Innovation. The London Book Fair announced that China has signed on as the “market focus” partner for the 2012 convention.