Bertelsmann provided a brief update on third quarter sales, with sales for the first nine months of the year reaching €13.5 billion just above flat, up 0.8 percent year over year. Organic growth was 1.9 percent, as “Penguin Random House, Arvato Group, Bertelsmann Education Group, and Bertelsmann Investments made the largest contributions to this increase. The release notes that Alchemised “sold more than 300,000 copies across formats in North America in its first week, making it one of the most successful adult debut novels of all time.” On their own, third quarter sales looked to have been flat at approximately […]
Earnings Reports
McGraw Hill Raises Guidance on Q2
McGraw Hill announced results for the second quarter ended September 30, reporting sales of $669 million, down 3 percent–though this is the company’s second-highest second quarter sales in 10 years. The company attributes the decline to an “anticipated smaller K-12 market,” partially offset by gains in higher education. Adjusted EBITDA was $286 million, down from $290 million in 2024. “With market share gains and the expansion of AI-powered tools, we are advancing personalized learning at scale while investing in growth beyond our core offerings,” chair, president, and ceo Simon Allen said. “Our fiscal second quarter performance highlights how McGraw Hill […]
Harper Collins Reports Declines on Baker & Taylor Closure and Orders from “Certain Customers”
Quietly topsy-turvy days in book publishing are well reflected in Harper Collins’ first fiscar quarter earnings report, released Thursday night by parent company News Corp., if you are paying attention. CEO Robert Thomson reported “an uncharacteristically weak performance in Book Publishing” in the quarter, with sales of $536 million, down $10 million from the same period a year ago. Profits fell further, at $58 million, down from $81 million last year. They took a $13 million “receivable write-off relating to the expected closure of Baker & Taylor,” CFO Lavanya Chandrashekar reported on the investor call. The unit “faced blustery winds […]
Storytel Reports Record Profitability
Swedish audiobook company Storytel reported results for the third quarter ended September 30, with sales up 6 percent to SEK1.013 billion ($106.5 million). Operating profit grew 74 percent to SEK152 million with adjusted EBITDA up 44 percent to SEK232 million. “Record high profitability, solid customer intake, and robust cash flow generation. Our performance reinforces our confidence in achieving our mid-term targets, while we raise our guidance for 2025”, ceo Bodil Eriksson Torp said in a release. In the streaming segment, sales were up 4 percent to SEK884.5 million with gross profit up 3 percent to SEK363.7 million, driven by a […]
Bloomsbury Predicts FY Profit “Ahead of Expectations” After First Half
In reporting their earnings for the first six months of their fiscal year, ended August 31, Bloomsbury updated their guidance for the full year, noting that they now “expect to deliver full year profit ahead of expectations.” (Market expectations for profit before taxation and highlighted items has been £41.6 million — after Bloomsbury lowered guidance in July, down from £45.1 million in profit.) The company expected softer results in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year, which had a new Sarah J. Maas book. They recorded £160 million in sales in the first half, […]
Pearson Results Remain Flattish, But Upbeat
Pearson issued a brief third quarter trading update, reporting “underlying” sales growth of 4 percent in the period, looking forward to “stronger Q4 sales growth…given known business unit dynamics.” Higher Ed sales were down 1 percent in the quarter, “due to ongoing challenging trading conditions in mature markets.” US Higher Ed sales rose 2 percent in the quarter, helped by “sustained engagement with our AI-powered study tools, partly offset by declines in our K-12 channel. In the Higher Ed segement, the company said, “We continue to expect sales growth in 2025 to be higher than in 2024 as we […]