The McEvoy Group has acquired Minneapolis–based personalized gifts and books publisher I See Me! from founders Maia and Allan Haag for an undisclosed sum. Owner of properties including Chronicle Books, McEvoy plans to use the acquisition to build upon Chronicle’s personalized books and gift line. “We’re excited to welcome I See Me! to our family of companies,” said The McEvoy Group founder and ceo Nion McEvoy in the announcement. “We believe that together with Chronicle Books’ growing personalized publishing program, MyChronicleBooks, we will provide the best and most innovative personalized publishing and gifts in the market.” The 14-year-old company will remain headquartered […]
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Inkling Closes Consumer Business to Focus on Enterprise Side; Lays Off 25 Percent of Staff
Inkling is officially closing its consumer retail business and has laid off something close to 25 percent of staff as a result. (CEO Matt MacInnis confirmed the layoffs to TechCrunch, indicating that 25 percent “was a little high.”) The company will focus on the enterprise/platform side, licensing their technology to publishers and large companies creating content for in-house use. MacInnis indicates that part of the business is performing well “and will continue hiring, he said.” MacInnis already discussed the company’s shift in a Fast Company article in March, “What Happened When A Digital Textbook Company Was Forced to Redefine Its […]
Divergent Leads Trade to Strong January
Trade sales as reported to the AAP by approximately 1,200 publishers were solid in January 2014, driven by strong sales of Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy and steady performance across the board. Total trade sales of $506 million were up 12 percent (or $54 million) compared to the same month a year ago. Most of that gain came from surging children’s/YA sales, up $44 million in January compared to a year ago, at $144 million. Adult sales rose $10 million, at $362 million. Total ebook sales for January were $137 million, up $15.5 million or 12 percent — exactly in line […]
People: Deborah Rogers Dies, and More
Prominent UK literary agent Deborah Rogers died yesterday, of a suspected heart attack, the Bookseller reports. Rogers, Coleridge and White confirmed the death of its chairman — who was presented with a lifetime achievement award just weeks ago at the London Book Fair. One of her authors, Kazuo Ishiguro, commented: “I’m groping for consolations in the face of this loss, but one of them is that she departed absolutely at the top of her game, knowing no decline. In the last few months, she was sharper, wiser, more energetic than at any time in the 34 years I’ve known her.” Brittney Ross […]
eNews: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD eBook Arrives in July; ComiXology Cuts Off In-App Purchasing
HarperCollins and Cornerstone will release ebook and audiobook editions of Harper Lee‘s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD in the US and UK on July 8, making available one of the longest-standing digital holdouts. Lee, who turned 88 on Monday, said in a statement released by Harper that “I’m still old-fashioned. I love dusty old books and libraries. I am amazed and humbled that MOCKINGBIRD has survived this long. This is MOCKINGBIRD for a new generation.” The news comes months after Lee settled a copyright lawsuit with her former agent Sam Pinkus that returned the rights to MOCKINGBIRD to her in full. […]
Kobo Cuts Over 60 Positions
Kobo is said to have cut 63 jobs in their Toronto office, reported by Good eReader and the Toronto Star. The company said in a written statement: “To focus resources on innovation, partners, and readers, the leadership team has realigned the organization’s structure, which has also meant some staff reductions. As part of this change, teams have been restructured and optimized; redeploying employees to best use their skills to support the company’s core goal of providing the best global eReading experience.” The statement adds: “While these decisions are never easy, we believe that we have the structure that puts us in the best […]