Kobo executive Michael Tamblyn provided a look at some of the challenges of taking ebooks global quickly. Among the biggest challenges has been Japan, home of their new parent company Rakuten. “We’ve learned a lot working in Japan,” he said. “They have everything there–it’s just evolved completely differently” than in the rest of the book publishing world. They have no metadata standards, two competing ebook standards, very little simultaneous release in print and digital, file conversion challenges, and very few centralized repositories. In many countries, as Tamblyn underscored, “we see a lot of vertical integration once we get outside of […]
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Jonathan Lyons will join Folio Literary Management as executive director of subsidiary rights, and will also serve as the agency’s legal counsel on select issues, including contract, copyright, and estate law. He has been running his own agency and law practice. Molly Jaffa has been promoted to director of international rights, and will continue to develop her client list. Jennifer Doerr has joined Yale University Press as senior publicist. She previously held director of publicity positions at Macmillan Children’s and Skyhorse Publishing. At Random House Children’s, Chelsea Eberly was promoted to associate editor. In the UK, Bloomsbury is launching a new […]
People, Etc.
Publisher of Cormorant Books Marc Côté has also been named publisher of Thomas Allen, effective March 1. He replaces Patrick Crean, who is leaving after more than 12 years with the company. “I feel I have accomplished the goals I set out to achieve…namely to launch and establish a thriving new independent publishing house that is nationally recognized for its award-winning and critically well-received books,” Crean said in a statement. “I also feel that in this time of historic change in the book industry, it is a good moment for me to pause and reflect on the essentials of book […]
eNews: Tracking Kobo; Coliloquy Launches “Active Fiction”
Kobo’s evp of business development Todd Humphrey reiterates to Publishing Perspectives that both Brazil and Japan are “likely” markets for the ebook company in 2012, among “ten plus countries” Kobo has in their sights for 2012. Indeed ceo Michael Serbinis said late last year when the Rakuten purchase was announced that, “We expect to be in Japan early into the new year; we expect to be in Brazil next year and this is all possible now. We did a handful of countries this year and we’ll do a couple dozen next year.” But Kobo said last April that they expected […]
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Betsy Mitchell will work for Open Road as strategic advisor for sci-fi and fantasy, and will “spearhead” their acquisition and publishing of backlist sci-fi and fantasy titles. Mitchell retired from her position as editor-in-chief at Ballantine Bantam Dell’s Del Rey Spectra in December. She started her own editorial services company. At Norton, Alane Mason has been promoted to vp, executive editor. She has been an editor for the company since 1999. Barnaby Dawe, marketing communications director at News International, is moving over to corporate sibling Harper UK, in the new position of chief marketing officer. He will report to Victoria […]
Thalia’s Parent May Sell, Spinoff–Or Just Sit Tight
Parent company of Germany’s largest–but ailing–book chain Thalia continues to be the focus of market gyration. First shares fell sharply on reduced earnings guidance, driven by Thalia’s difficulties competing with ebooks and online bookselling and unquantified “restructuring” costs at the bookseller. But then shares soared on news of a possible buyout. CEO Henning Kreke “told analysts at a meeting on Thursday that Douglas had been approached by investors several times in recent years and that the Kreke family, which has a 12.6 percent stake in Douglas, decided to initiate talks over a buyout because it sees the company’s shares as […]