Despite many positive indicators that publishing has rebounded amidst the pandemic, there is a parallel reality: Many in the bookselling community have continued to struggle, and the challenges have grown as the country faces the potential of more retail limitations or shutdowns during the critical holiday season. The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association sent an emotional email yesterday to members yesterday to acknowledge the struggle. The board voiced the need to “Take a moment to mourn the stores lost this year to Covid-19, from legacy stores to stores that opened with hope in the last few years; to acknowledge the […]
How Publishing Works
Authors Guild Calls for Albert Whitman to Pay Overdue Royalties
The Authors Guild made a statement on Monday in support of authors who are owed royalties by publisher Albert Whitman and Company, calling for “transparency and immediate rectification of past due royalties.” They write, “Over the last few years, the Authors Guild has contacted AW&C on numerous occasions to convey members’ concerns involving delayed royalty payments and the accuracy of accounting reports.” The statement followed a November 9 thread on Twitter from Joan He, author of YA book Descendant of the Crane, that said she was considering suing the company for copyright infringement. He wrote, “Back in May, they failed […]
Time to Vote
It is your right and your responsibility to vote, and people across the spectrum seem to agree that this is a critical election for our nation. The pandemic has made voting more complicated than ever, and many factors have made voting more time-consuming than ever. With early voting now underway in almost every state, we asked a variety of companies of scale in our industry from around the country about their policies to provide employees paid time off to participate. In addition, some companies also told us about special policies for volunteering to work the polls — “for which there […]
LSC Sale to Atlas Holdings Wins Court Approval
LSC’s sale to Atlas Holdings has been approved by the bankruptcy court. An affiliate of Atlas Holdings, with support from LSC’s secured creditors, will acquire substantially all of the company’s assets, according to this morning’s press release. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2020, subject to closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. LSC ceo Thomas J. Quinlan III said, “We are confident that through this partnership with Atlas, LSC will be uniquely well-positioned to strengthen and grow our market-leading position and provide our customers with the same high standards of quality, reliability and innovation,” and thanks employees […]
News Corp CEO Discusses Future Investments in Digital in a “Transitioning” Business
In a September 17 interview at the Goldman Sachs 29th Annual Communacopia Conference, News Corp. ceo Robert Thomson reaffirmed that “the book publishing business is one that we see having long-term value for us, and it too is a changing business.” Thomson spoke to internal partnerships between HarperCollins and the company’s news organizations including The Times and The Sun in the UK, calling them “very fruitful in recent months.” He added, “So those sorts of partnerships and finding all of those and promoting important books, obviously not just in print, but across the digital platforms, that complementarity and that leverage […]
As Cohen Tops Bestseller List, Vanity Fair Chronicles Skyhorse’s “House of Horrors”
In a day already full of publishing news, on Thursday Vanity Fair posted a lengthy and provocative article about Skyhorse, publisher of “political unsavories” (Michael Cohen, Roger Stone, Woody Allen, Garrison Keillor’s next, quack scientists, etc.) and described as a company with “a history of workplace toxicity and inappropriate behavior.” President and publisher Tony Lyons says, “We believe in free speech, take a strong stance against cancel culture, and live by the rule that it’s important to err on the side of letting even unpopular voices be heard.” This spring he told VF in an interview, “I was thinking about […]