While much of the industry is transfixed by the looming court decision on the Google Book Search settlement (and the complexities thereof), Bloomsbury UK is moving forward with a electronic lending library of its own. Working with Exact Editions and launching on May 5, the Bloomsbury Library Online will “allow readers to read collections of bestselling books at local library terminals or with the use of a library card on home computers and internet enabled devices.” The publisher is selling the service as an annual subscription to libraries, priced according to the “size of population served.” Bloomsbury Executive Director Richard […]
International News
Bloomsbury UK Removes Prices from Backlist, and Retailers Are Surprised
Bloomsbury has been removing printed prices from backlist titles in the UK starting “over a year” ago, Richard Charkin tells the Bookseller. He adds, “When something drops into the backlist, you may wish to increase the price, in which case this enables us to do it [more easily]. It’s a sensible thing to do because I think this government is going to have to introduce high levels of inflation, and we want to make sure we have a way of dealing with it.” But all retailers surveyed by the magazine have been taken by surprise by the move. Borders UK […]
Random UK Layoffs Claim 33 Positions; Cambridge Likely to Limit Printing Cuts
A month ago Random House UK announced their intention to cut staff by approximately 5 percent (as did Harper UK) and now the Bookseller says that the company announced the elimination of 33 jobs today. Individuals were not named, but the magazine says that cutbacks included Transworld senior publishing director Francesca Liversidge and other “senior editorial” people.Bookseller In other UK publishing layoffs, lobbying of the eighteen academics who comprise the Syndicate that governs Cambridge University Press has raised “hope that at least half of the [book printing] jobs threatened by the restructuring will be saved,” the Guardian reports. Director of […]
Nibbie Winners Include Obama
The British Book Award winners were announced last Friday night: Best Read: When Will There Be Good News, by Kate Atkinson Author of the Year: Aravind Adiga for The White TigerBiography: Dreams From My Father, by Barack ObamaCrime Thriller: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg LarssonPopular Fiction: Devil May Care, by Sebastian FaulksNon-Fiction: The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, by Kate SummerscaleNew Writer: Tom Rob Smith for Child 44 Children’s Book: Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie MeyerList In other awards, The International Association of Culinary Professionals’ cookbook honors were dominated by independent (and formerly independent) lines. Ten Speed Press received […]
Bloomsbury Says It Had A "Strong Performance"
Overall results were down sharply for fiscal 2008 at Bloomsbury due to comparisons to the launch of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with sales falling by more than a third to 99.95 million pounds, with pre-tax profits of 11.63 million pounds. But the company offers itself long and hearty congratulations as “it re-balances its business in the wake of the Harry Potter phenomenon and of the demands of a global recession.” Units in both the US and Germany improved during the year, with US sales up 29.4 percent to 17.32 million (essentially all due to the decline of the […]
Wilson Takes New Post at Headline As Neild Prepares to Leave
Kate Wilson, who left her position as managing director of Scholastic UK without noting her next step, is taking on the newly-created post of chief executive of the Headline Publishing Group within Hachette UK. Wilson joins the company on May 5 and will report to managing director of Headline and chief executive of Hodder & Stoughton and John Murray Martin Neild–but only until Neild relinquishes his full-time job in early 2010 to become a consultant to the company. At that point, Wilson will report directly to Hachette UK ceo Tim Hely Hutchinson and Jamie Hodder-Williams will move up from managing […]