Amazon will shut down Indian publisher Westland Books, which it acquired in 2016 and made part of Amazon Publishing. They said in a statement, “After a thorough review, we have made the difficult decision to no longer operate Westland. We are working closely with the employees, authors, agents, and distribution partners on this transition and we remain committed to innovating for customers.” According to Scroll.in, Amazon has told employees that they will try to find jobs for them within the company. Employees were reportedly surprised, both at the abruptness of the announcement and the decision to close the company rather […]
International News
Ambo Anthos Suspends Printing of The Betrayal of Anne Frank
Dutch publisher Ambo Anthos has suspended printing of The Betrayal of Anne Frank after questions emerged about its research, Reuters reports. Published on January 18, the book named a Jewish man, Arnold van den Bergh, a relatively obscure figure, as the top suspect who informed the Nazis of Anne Frank and her family’s hiding place, leading to their capture in 1944. The research team behind the book was led by former FBI agent Vince Pankoke, who enlisted a group of said to include a psychologist, a criminologist, researchers and data specialists. But some outside researchers called the conclusions of the […]
UK Tries TV Show Search for Cookbook Author
Starting January 31, the UK’s Channel 4 will air a seven-episode TV series called The Great Cook Book Challenge with Jamie Oliver. Following a series of cooking challenges among 18 chefs, one winner will get a cookbook publishing deal with Penguin Michael Joseph. The publisher’s managing director Louisa Moore is head judge on the show. She says: “I hope and believe that this show offers an opportunity to showcase one area of publishing to a wider audience in a positive and genuine way, that it can start to help demystify the publishing process, because it is essential and necessary now […]
Harper, Hachette and Bonnier UK to Return to Office
England is ready for people to go back to the workplace. Employees at Harper UK, Hachette UK and Bonnier Books UK will be expected to return to the office, the Bookseller confirms, as the UK has lifted work-from-home guidance put in place during the Omicron surge. Harper and Bonnier employees will be expected to work in the office two or more days per week starting January 24. Hachette will require employees to be in the office three days a week beginning January 31. Working in the office remains voluntary for UK staff at Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, and […]
UK Postpones Decision on Copyright Exhaustion
The UK will not change its rules for copyright exhaustion of intellectual property, for now. The government’s Intellectual Property Office has closed its consultation on the possibility of parallel trade, which would allow print books to be resold internationally without publisher permission (which is the law of the land in the US). “Unfortunately, there is not enough data available to understand the economic impact of any of the alternatives to the current UK+ regime,” the IPO stated. “As a result, it has not been possible to make a decision based on the criteria originally intended. However, the government remains committed […]
Vivendi Moves Up Timetable and Will Launch Tender Offer to Acquire Lagardere
Though Vivendi was previously awaiting regulatory approval from the French government for their acquisition of Amber Capital’s 17.5 percent stake in Lagardere — originally expecting the deal to close by December 15 — the company has decided it does not need to wait any longer. “Recent analyses carried out by Vivendi have led the company to consider that this acquisition could take place now since, in accordance with applicable rules on the control of concentrations.” Vivendi says it will not exercise the voting rights attached to Amber shares “until the approvals required for the acquisition of the control of Lagardère […]