Following multiple statements from the Hachette Book Group to its authors and the media, on Tuesday evening Amazon broke their silence on the standoff with the publisher over terms with a post authored by the Amazon Books Team on the company’s online forum. It is titled “Announcement: Hachette/Amazon Business Interruption.” (The post is locked for discussion.) After making clear that Hachette “is part of a $10 billion media conglomerate” and an “important supplier,” Amazon admits: “Unfortunately, despite much work from both sides, we have been unable to reach mutually-acceptable agreement on terms. Hachette has operated in good faith and we admire […]
eNews
BEA M&A: Blurb Buys Out Graphicly; Feedbooks Acquires Aldiko
As has been rumored for some time, Blurb.com is acquiring Graphicly.com, which has focused on helping creators produce image-rich ebooks such as comics and other illustrated works, including photo books. It’s considered an “acquihire,” with the press release phrasing it as “Blurb acquires key talent from Graphicly.” Six employees from Graphicly will join Blurb, including founder Micah Baldwin, while Graphicly will shut down as an independent service. Founder Micah Baldwin tells TechCrunch that Graphicly has 10,000 publishers on its platform, issuing about 20,000 titles, with approximately $2 million in revenues. In the release, Baldwin says, “After spending four years working […]
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 […]
HBG CEO Pietsch Writes to Authors
Following Thursday night’s removal of pre-order options for many Hachette Book Group titles on Amazon, as first reported by us, on Friday morning Hachette ceo Michael Pietsch dispatched a confirming email to authors, obtained by PL: “I am sorry to tell you that Amazon has now taken preorder capabilities away from Hachette Book Group publications…. There is no preorder button, and some not-yet-published books lack a Kindle page entirely.” Pietsch tells authors: “Please know that we are doing everything in our power to find a solution to this difficult situation, one that best serves our authors and their work, and […]
People, Etc.
At IPG, Cynthia Murphy has been promoted to library sales manager. In addition, Lara Alexander has been promoted to trade sales manager, and Laura Donnelly moves up to trade sales associate. Audrey Gibbons has joined Simon & Schuster Children’s as associate publicist for the SSBFYR, McElderry, Atheneum and Saga imprints. Previously she was an associate publicist at Black Dog & Leventhal. NBC News will air an hour-long special on Wednesday evening, May 28, featuring Glenn Greenwald — author of the just-released NO PLACE TO HIDE: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State, and including a recorded interview between […]
Amazon Removes Pre-Order Capability On Many Forthcoming Hachette Titles
Amazon’s slowdown of their business with Hachette Book Group as the parties battle over terms took another turn Thursday evening, as site visitors noted on social media the disappearance of pre-order buying capability for print and Kindle editions of many forthcoming HBG titles. Among affected titles due for publication in June are JK Rowling’s next Robert Galbraith novel SILKWORM; Michael Koryta’s THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD; Megan Abbott’s THE FEVER; Elin Hilderbrand’s THE MATCHMAKER, and Tom Rob Smith’s THE FARM, plus Anne Rivers Siddons’ THE GIRLS OF AUGUST (due in early July). The affected books now display as “currently unavailable” and offer to have customers “sign […]