In a brief first quarter trading update, Bertelsmann said that sales are up 2.5 percent, at 3.622 billion euros, and group income has returned to profitability at 45 million, compared to 78 million euro loss in the same period a year ago. No divisional data is provided in the quarterly update; those details will come in their half-year earnings report on August 31.Release Elsewhere in Europe, Mondadori also returned to modest profit in the quarter of 2.4 million euros, though their sales declined 2.8 percent to 345 million euros due to lower advertising and circulation. “Mondadori said it would continue […]
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Sales Fall at Lagardere In First Quarter, As US Digital Books Hit 8 Percent
Sales at Lagardere Publishing of 433 million euros fell 6.5 percent in the first quarter (ending March 31), attributed to the “expected erosion” in sales of Stephenie Meyer books. Digital book sales, however, were “buoyant,” comprising “some 8 percent” of US revenues in the first quarter. The company says that “the current pace of growth in digital books – in particular with the arrival of the iPad” could wind up having “a very slightly positive effect” on their full-year earnings. In the short term, the publication of Meyer’s novella The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner on June 5 “is […]
Briefs: Quirk Moves Distribution; Ingram Thanks Relief Contributors
Quirk Books will move their sales and distribution to Random House Publisher Services as of January 1, ending a nine-year relationship with Chronicle Books. Publisher David Borgenicht says “We’ve had an incredible partnership with Chronicle Books since we launched the Quirk Books list in 2002. Together, we have created many publishing successes, and I am grateful to have been able to team up with them. In this ever-changing publishing landscape, our new relationship with Random House will open up new and significant opportunities while building upon our previous achievements.” At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Kate Angelella has been promoted to […]
People, Etc.
Serena Jones has just joined Times Books as an editor. Most recently she worked for the Collins division of HarperCollins and before that she was at Simon & Schuster. Leigh Marchant will join the Random House publishing group as associate director of Marketing, responsible for trade paperback marketing, reporting to Sanyu Dillon. Marchant has been at Barnes & Noble for the past 5 years as co-op account manager in the merchandising department. Hampton Roads Publishing Company has appointed Linda Biagi of Biagi Rights Management to handle foreign language, large print, audio, and paperback reprint licensing. Biagi has also been named […]
Bookstore Holds Firm Over Rove Appearance
Milwaukee’s Next Chapter Bookshop has taken fire from some people after announcing an appearance later this month by Karl Rove as he tours for Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight. The Journal-Sentinel reports on owner Lanora Hurley responding by explaining the mission of a bookstore: “I just wanted to say to you that the whole point of an independent bookstore is to be a place that protects the First Amendment and allows the public to have access to whatever (legal) materials they would like. I do not agree with every author that comes to my […]
People, Etc.
John Crutcher, who co-founded Bloomberg Press and was most recently global director of trade sales, has left Bloomberg LP following the press’s partnership with Wiley and can be reached at jcrutcher@gmail.com. The Toby Press laid off editor Deborah Meghnagi Bailey, who will now work for them freelance, and has canceled three books from its fall list of six or seven titles. Owner Matthew Miller says that following the acquisition of Koren Publishers Jerusalem and Maggid Books, “because we’ve got so many things going on, we can’t afford to do the kind of things we were doing before, when we could […]