Following the WSJ’s story about impatient Americans ordering anticipated fiction that has been released in the UK but not yet published in the US, the NYT files a story about significant business in the US for the British edition from Quercus of Stieg Larsson’s third book The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. Knopf currently has that title scheduled for a May 25, 2010 release. While no precise numbers on import sales are reported, the UK version of Hornet’s Nest “tied for No. 5 on the bestseller list of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association in October.” One aspect of the […]
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Baker & Taylor Buys Blackwell NA; Sells UK Branch
Baker & Taylor announced yesterday they are buying Blackwell Book Services North America to integrate with YBP and Australia-based James Bennett bookseller (also owned by Blackwell). In turn, they are selling their UK unit Lindsay and Croft to Blackwell UK. Also, “Baker & Taylor’s YBP Library Services and Blackwell U.K. have entered into a strategic sourcing agreement under which YBP Library Services will source all U.K.-published academic material from Blackwell U.K., and Blackwell U.K. will source all U.S.-published academic material from YBP Library Services.”Release
People
Dedi Felman will join Times Books as a senior editor as of January 4, acquiring books on current events, politics, science, and economics. She had worked most recently at Simon & Schuster. Crain’s named Hachette Book Group one of the 40 best places to work in 2009, at No. 24 “the happiest book publisher.” They report that HBG will once again give all employees a year-end bonus, as they did last year as well. Crain’s says that 16 percent of the staff was promoted this year, and they claim that the “average salary” is $114,164.Crains
Bookselling: Lamba Rising to Close Remaining Two Stores; Are Indie Booksellers Fulfilling their Promise Online?; One Bookseller Realizes Moody Experiment
Lambda Rising founder and co-owner Deacon Maccubbin announced that their Washington, DC store will close after 35 years in business at the end of this year, along with their outpot at Rehoboth Beach, DE (launched in 1993). Maccubbin writes on the store’s site, “Closing the store now will certainly leave something of a hole in Washington’s literary and political scene and even though I’m excited about the opportunities that will open up for us as we move into the next phase of our life, there is a bittersweet component to it all. But the book market has been changing dramatically, […]
People
Grand Central Publishing senior editor Natalie Kaire will move over to Stewart, Tabori & Chang as a senior editor on December 15, acquiring cookbooks and food narratives. Ellen Towell has been hired as sales manager, North America for Weldon Owen Australia, with responsibility for selling the books created and produced by the book packager’s Sydney publishing office into the North American market. She will work out of their San Francisco office. Most recently Towell was a sales rep for Karel/Dutton Associates.
Bookselling: Amazon Takes Textbook Trade-Ins; Two Store Closings
Amazon announced this morning a textbook trade-in program that lets students get a quote online for used books, print a pre-paid shipping label, and return those books for credits against Amazon purchases.Announcement Two independent booksellers announced closings: Lee Booksellers in Lincoln, NB is closing after 30 years in business as their lease expires and co-owners Linda Hillegass and husband Jim McKee prepare to retire. “The big effect the economy has had is that we can’t sell the store,” Hillegass said. “We did try to sell the store, and it didn’t work.” Also closing is Ormond Beach, FL’s The Bookstore Cafe […]