Today’s stories offer digital statistics and hints from all over. Lagardere issued a brief first quarter trading update. Publishing revenues were 390 million euros, down 9.8 percent on an absolute basis, and down 10.4 percent from a year ago on a like-for-like basis. Once again, they attribute the drop to Stephenie Meyer’s declining sales. (The same period a year ago “notably” included Meyer rights sales as well.) eBooks comprised approximately 22 percent of sales in the US in the quarter through the end of March, and grew to 5 percent of sales in the UK. For the full year, they […]
International News
Kindle Launches German Store With Over 25K German Titles; Apple Sells Another 4.7 Million iPads
As long expected, Amazon announced today the launch of their first non-English Kindle store, debuting in Germany with “over 25,000 German-language titles,” including “71 of 100 Spiegel bestsellers” and “thousands of German classics downloadable for free.” The store appers to have lots of English-language titles for German customers as well, since the company says the store has over 650,000 titles in total. When the German Publishers and Booksellers Association launched their own ebookstore last November through Libreka.de, they also began with approximately 25,000 German-language ebooks for sale (which is still the count displayed on the site). Amazon says their title […]
People, Etc.
Kelly Fischbach has joined Barnes & Noble as director, digital education content for BN.com (NookStudy). Fischbach was formerly director, content product management for Kno. Allison Dobson has moved in-house to the Random House Publishing Group as vp, director, business development and strategic partnerships, reporting to Bill Takes. In the UK Mark Hutchinson, formerly of Colman Getty, is setting up a pr and management consulting company, Mark Hutchinson Management. The Bookseller says he will handle personal PR for JK Rowling through the new company, as well as working for authors including Nigella Lawson and Andrea Levy.Bookseller In Canada, Thomas Allen & […]
Results: WH Smith, Harper International, and Bertrams
In the UK, WH Smith reported results for the first half of their year, ending February 28, that look encouraging against the backdrop of weak UK retail sales in general and the continuing troubles at competitor Waterstone’s and HMV in particular. Sales still fell, mind you, with same-store and overall sales at their High Street stores down 6 percent, travel-store comps down 3 percent. But profits, which were decent to begin with, remained flat. So they earned £47 million on High Street sales of £473, and £25 million on flat overall travel store sales of £213 million. The company says […]
Frankfurt to Expand Rights Center
While today’s focus is on a full London Book Fair, where the rights center has sold out its 575 tables, organizers of the Frankfurt Book Fair have announced the expansion and reenvisioning their rights center. Previously located on part of one floor in hall 6, this year it will encompass all of hall 6. A new StoryDrive Business Center will comprise part of that expanded agents center, presenting “a new meeting place for representatives of the film, games and book industries.” FBF director Juergen Boos underscores that in the digital transition, “the business of content has taken on even more […]
Random Adds Fiction Line, Hogarth, to Crown in the US and Chatto in the UK
Random House begins the London Book Fair by announcing a new fiction imprint, Hogarth, which is part of the Crown Publishing Group in the US and part of Chatto & Windus in the UK. Molly Stern will lead the US line, which aims to publish eight to 10 books a year, and Clara Farmer will lead the UK version, which will issue a smaller list drawing from the US titles. The announcement says the units will have “a close, but non-exclusive, editorial relationship.” Lindsay Sagnette and Zachary Wagman are also acquiring for the US list; Becky Hardie and Poppy Hampson […]