The AAP reported sales from December for the limited set of reporting publishers they monitor, tabulating ebook sales from a dozen companies of $49.5 million for the month. Electronic books registered $441.3 million for the year among the reporting companies, compared to $166.9 million a year ago. When properly calculated, ebooks were just under 8 percent of net trade sales for the year. For December alone, ebooks comprised 9.5 percent of monitored sales. It was the highest monthly ebook sales number yet, outpacing the previous high from November of $46.6 million. Consistent with our analysis last month of figures for […]
eNews
TOC and Beyond: Atwood Defends Authors’ Cheese, and More
At this morning’s TOC conference Margaret Atwood showed how a great writer can craft an entertaining speech and even a swell powerpoint better than most technologists. Her theme was “who is going to pay for the cheese sandwiches on which authors are known to subsist?” in this new digital age. While she didn’t have grand answers to offer, she did come armed with charming illustrations and a delightful delivery. “I love the enthusiasm for new things. Forgive me for not being quite as hopped about it all as some people may be,” Atwood began. “We’ve heard a lot about change. […]
Briefs: Quarto Annual Sales Rise; Hay House to Make Their Own Vooks; Planeta Acquires Bertrand; Gardners To Sell Direct to Consumers; and More
Quarto reported an 8 percent rise in adjusted pre-tax profit for the year to December to £7.4m from £6.9m, and a 7 percent jump in revenue to £113.8m from £106.6m. Its publishing division revenue increased 7 percent to £75.1m. Quarto cited “continued focus on developing markets, in particular Brazil and China, and improved trading in the UK and Australasia” for the revenue and profit gains. Release Hay House has become the first publisher to sign on to use Vook’s engine for creating enhanced ebooks at scale (called MotherVook). The product “converts disparate and varied file formats; combines text, video and […]
People, Etc.
Anne Kubek has joined the InScribe Digital as EVP, General Manager. She had been EVP of merchandising and marketing at Borders, spending 20 years with the company before leaving in late 2009. Meg LaBorde Kuehn joins Kirkus Media in the new position of vp of business development. Her most recently publishing position was coo of Greenleaf Book Group. Former Granta Books managing director David Graham has joined Aurum and its associated trade publishing division, where he will be setting up a new imprint, Union Press, which will focus on “serious literary writing”, specifically non-fiction. Former Granta staffers Alex Clark and […]
Briefs: O’Hagan To Ghostwrite Assange Memoir; British Bookshops Releases Creditor List; and More
Scottish literary novelist Andrew O’Hagan is reportedly ghost-writing Julian Assange‘s memoir, which will be published in April.The Guardian British Bookshops and Stationers owes £6.3m to its unsecured creditors on £2.2m in assets, according to a company filing. Hachette’s Bookpoint and Littlehampton Book Services distribution companies are owed £440,053 and £644,747 respectively, while Random House’s distribution company The Book Service is owed £443,317 and both Macmillan Distribution and HarperCollins are due around £500,000.The Bookseller Buffalo Street Books in Ithaca, NY will close at the end of March after more than 35 years in business.The Ithaca Journal Sourcebooks’ Fiske College Guide is […]
Briefs: Amazon to Close Distribution Center; E-Book Bundling; New Indies In Old Chain Locations; and More
Amazon announced it will close its distribution center in Irving, TX on April 12 and scuttle plans to hire 1,000 more people for the facility, which opened in 2006. The move came in response to an ongoing tax dispute with the State of Texas, which seeks to collect $269 million in revenue from the retailer. “Despite much hard work and the support of other Texas officials, we’ve been unable to come to a resolution with the Texas comptroller’s office,” VP operations Dave Clark said in a letter to employees obtained by the Dallas Morning News. “Closing this fulfillment [distribution] center […]