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 […]
Finance
Globe Pequot Press Sold to Rowman & Littlefield
The Globe Pequot Press has been sold to Rowman & Littlefield, for undisclosed terms, by parent company Morris Publishing. R&L has purchased the imprints that published as Globe Pequot Press, Lyons Press, Falcon Guides, Knack, Two Dot, and Insiders’ Guide. Morris Publishing will retain the Milepost, Skirt, Pop Out, and Western Horseman Books imprints, and the U.K.-based Footprint Guides. R&L’s National Book Network will take over distribution of the purchased imprints as well as the retained lines “sometime in August or September.” NBN will also take over sales and distribution responsibilities for Globe Pequot’s own 18 distribution clients. Morris Publishing’s Springfield, TN distribution facility […]
Sales Rise At Bloomsbury, As Profit Softens
Bloomsbury reported results for their fiscal year ending February 28, with sales rising 11 percent of £109.5 million, but profit after tax of £9.5 million was down slightly (from £9.8 million the year before). All three major publishing divisions — adult trade; children’s and educational; and academic & professional — showed gains during the year, which “mitigated a fall in higher-margin rights and services revenues.” Those sales fell 26 percent to £8.5 million, with “fewer [copyright licensing] deals completed and at lower amounts.” Digital sales overall rose by 21 percent to £12.2 million, and now comprise 12.1 percent of revenues […]
At Least One New Holder for Barnes & Noble
With the April sale of 3.7 million shares of Barnes & Noble common stock by chairman Len Riggio — and the sale earlier in the month of nearly all of Liberty Media’s convertible preferred shares in the bookseller — there were bound to be disclosures on the way about new major holders in the company. On Friday, investor David Abrams and associated hedge funds operated by Abrams Capital Management disclosed ownership of a total of 3.746 million shares in the bookseller, or 6.26 percent of the common stock. Separately, a scan of large holders on Bloomberg indicates that other hedge […]
Amazon/HBG: Deaver and Patterson Comment; Bonnier Reports the Same Situation
At least two prominent Hachette Book Group authors have written to fans on Facebook about what is happening between their publisher and Amazon. Jeffery Deaver, whose new book just released, writes: “I’m afraid that those of you who buy my books on Amazon will find getting the novel a more expensive proposition than normal. Because of a dispute with Hachette Book Group, which publishes THE SKIN COLLECTOR, Amazon has chosen to attempt to intimidate publisher, authors and readers alike by significantly reducing purchase price discounts of my books and those written by other Hachette authors. Equally troubling to me personally Amazon […]
Corporate: Sales Fall At Lagardere Publishing; HMH Buys Channel One News
First quarter sales at Lagardere Publishing fell 26 million euros (or 6.2 percent) in the first quarter, to 393 million euros, “due mostly to the comparison” to a strong quarter a year ago, which included sales of the Fifty Shades trilogy in France. Similarly, for the US unit, HBG USA ceo Michael Pietsch said they “had a tough comparison due to Q1 2013 movie tie in bestsellers of Nicholas Sparks’s SAFE HAVEN, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, and Stephenie Meyer’s THE HOST, but new bestsellers made up most of that ground…. Ebook sales slowed from last year’s first […]