In the latest expansion of Penguin Random House’s film/tv development efforts, Random House Studio has signed a two-year first-look production agreement Universal Pictures. Random House Studio, under the direction of president Peter Gethers, will serve as a producer on the projects developed and filmed under the agreement. Once again, UTA represented Penguin Random House in the deal. Universal co-president of production Jeffrey Kirschenbaum says in the announcement: “Peter Gethers’ ability to identify books that can be adapted into movies that can attract major talent makes his team a unique and invaluable addition to the Universal family.” Universal is already readying […]
Financing/Start-Ups
John Ingram Invests In Mediander
Chairman and ceo of Ingram Content Group John Ingram has invested in Mike Fine’s ambitious online “knowledge engine” startup Mediander.com, providing an “early-stage investment” through his personal investing vehicle, JRI Ventures LLC. According to the announcement, “the investment will be used to fund research and development, as well as technical, marketing and other operating expenses.” Fine has been the sole funder of Mediander up until now. ICG as a company also has venture capital arm that has taken stakes in a variety of digital publishing related start-ups. In 2010, John Ingram invested both personally and corporately in ReThink Books, which started […]
BEA Launches and Relaunches: Next Big Book (Data); Bookperk Redux; Mediander; New Strategies from Electric Lit and Coffee House Press
Music data start-up Next Big Sound has launched their second product, Next Big Book — promising to “analyze social, sales, and marketing signals to help you make smarter, braver decisions.” The “big data” service puts information from social networks as well as publicity triggers and author events together with public and private sales data into a single dashboard. The company has been working with Macmillan for the past eight months, and the NYT says the publisher will be giving both employees and authors access to the data dashboard “over the next few months.” Macmillan evp for digital publishing and strategic […]
BitLit Angels Include Former Kobo CEO Serbinis
Vancouver-based startup Bitlit, whose app helps publishers bundle ebooks with print books, announced the closing of a round of seed funding. Kobo founder and recently deposed ceo Michael Serbinis’s new venture fund Three Angels Capital is among the funders — along with from BDC Venture Capital, Mike Volker (WUTIF fund) and Jim Fletcher, a Vancouver super angel. The amount of the round was not disclosed. Serbinis says in the release that “Three Angels was founded in 2014 to invest in world class teams looking to disrupt markets and change the world. As books go digital it’s clear that people continue to enjoy […]
BEA Challenges Start-Ups In New Contest
This year’s BEA is featuring a “Book Expo Challenge” contest focused on start-ups that’s a hybrid of floor display space and a chance at two prizes. For $599 registrants/contestants get a table and two chairs in a little “Startup Alley” section of the trade show floor (inside the Digital Discovery Zone). Registered companies also get to pitch their propositions to a panel of judges — Dawn Barber (NY Tech Meetup); Brian Cohen (NY Angels); Dominique Raccah (Sourcebooks); Jordan Bettman (Bain Capital Ventures); and David Roland (Ingram Content Group Ventures — on Thursday, May 29. The judges can award a $10,000 […]
Corporate: A Wiley Acquisition; and Job Cuts At RH Children’s UK and Weltbild
Wiley announced another sizable acquisition, agreeing to pay $175 million in cash to purchase French-based learning solutions provider CrossKnowledge, which focuses on leadership and managerial skills development. The deal is expected to close on May 1. Wiley has been investing heavily in their professional development division, and acquired a related firm, Profiles International, less than two weeks ago. CEO Steve Smith says the two purchases, along with Inscape (which they bought in 2012 for $85 million), “positions us as a leader in the rapidly-growing area of enterprise talent management. In today’s knowledge-based economy, organizations of all different shapes and sizes […]