British-based retailer WH Smith issued a short trading update for September 1 through November, when same-store High Street sales fell 4 percent. They added: “Whilst we remain cautious about the consumer environment and anticipate competitive trading in our markets over the key Christmas period, we have planned accordingly, and the current financial year has started as we expected.” In other UK financials, sales at Canongate for calendar 2007 declined almost 4 percent, down to 7.8 million pounds from 8.1 million the year before, while pre-tax profits fell sharply to 271,000 pounds, 60 percent decline from the year before. The company’s […]
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Giller to Boyden
Joseph Boyden won Canada’s Giller Prize for his second novel THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE, after having been favored to win the award three years ago for his debut, THREE DAY ROAD. Juror Margaret Atwood praised the book “for its spare prose style that ranges from lyrical to brutal … and that shows us unforgettable characters and a northern landscape in a way we have never seen before.” Viking has the book scheduled for March 2009 release in the US. Mary Swan’s THE BOYS IN THE TREES had been the “overwhelming” favorite in the Guess the Giller contest, run through 30 public […]
PEN USA Award Winners
Pen USA announced their literary award winners, including: Fiction Daniel Alarcon, Lost City Radio Creative Nonfiction Julia Whitty, The Fragile Edge Research Nonfiction William Vollman, Poor People Poetry Juan Felipe Herrera, 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border Children’s Literature Ron Koertge, Strays Translation Donald Revell, A Season in Hell by Arthur Rimbaud PEN
People: Moynahan to Run Harper ANZ
Random House India and chairman of Random House New Zealand Michael Moynahan will move back to become ceo of Harper Collins for Australia and New Zealand in the new year, reporting to Victoria Barnsley. She says, “His extensive publishing background and management experience, along with an impressive track record in growing Random House’s business in both India and New Zealand, make him a perfect choice to take our business to the next level.” Moynahan adds, “Harper Collins ANZ rightly enjoys an enviable position in the market and I am looking forward to working with the team to build on a […]
Another Broad Promotion for Books
Following news of Random House’s efforts to promote book sales this holiday season, MJ Rose announces an initiative via her AuthorBuzz venture that promises to reach “reach over 10 million people” online with banner ads. The campaign proclaims “You can’t buy more enjoyment for less… Give a book” and then promotes a selection of 24 sponsored books. Ads click through to the online bookseller choice of the author or publisher who bought the ads. But bloggers are invited to grab generic (or specific) campaign images to share the message of supporting books as gifts.Rose blog
Bertelsmann "Well Positioned"
After a weak first half for their fiscal year, Bertelsmann has issued the briefest of Q3 trading updates. Sales for the first nine months fell by 0.7 percent to 11.4 billion euros; they don’t break out third quarter sales, which were approximately 3.765 billion euros. Net profit rose to 387 million euros for those nine months, a low margin that still benefits from comparison to last year when they took a 245-million euro charge to settle lawsuits related to Napster. (Operating EBIT so far this year is down more than 10 percent at 926 million euros, though the company offers […]