“No. 1 French bestseller” does not necessarily guarantee a novel sales, or even publication, in English-speaking parts of the world, as the Guardian notes: “Fiction in translation is not an easy sell to us Brits, and French fiction is perhaps the hardest sell of all.” The subject is small UK press Gallic Books’ release of Muriel Barbery’s THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG. (It’s published by Europa Editions in the US.) “Barbery’s novel, which takes as its unprepossessing subject an ugly, plump concierge and a 12-year-old girl who plans to commit suicide on her 13th birthday, has spent 102 weeks on […]
International News
Booker Shortlist Announced
What a “shock.” As usual, manufactured “surprise” is the fuel of the Booker publicity machine, as the “longlist” turns out to be a head fake for the real shortlist; Salman Rushdie and John Berger did not make the final cut nor did Tom Rob Smith’s Child 44, which served its purpose just by being held up as a possible nominee. Also left aside were the overrated Netherland by Joseph O’Neill and books by Gaynor Arnold; Michelle de Kretser; and Mohammed Hanif. That leaves your finalists of: Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger (Atlantic) Sebastian Barry, The Secret Scripture (Faber and Faber) […]
As in US, Waterstone's Sales Fall
Citing a “tough consumer environment” and in particular a “a weaker book market,” HMV said in a brief trading update for the 18 weeks weeks ending August 30 that same-store sales at the Waterstone’s chain fell 4.3 percent, and declined 1.7 percent after you take out Harry Potter. Total sales at Waterstone’s fell 5.9 percent for the period. The chain launched the Sony Reader yesterday with about 7,000 titles available (they expect to have about 20,000 titles by the end of the year) and has enrolled 1.8 million loyalty card members.Statement
Didgeridon't
Harper Collins Australia apologized “unreservedly” yesterday to aboriginal Australians for part of their forthcoming Australian edition of the bestselling DARING BOOK FOR GIRLS which shows girls how to the play the didgeridoo. The publisher “will replace this item when the book is reprinted as clearly we had no intention to offend.” As the AP reports, “traditionally, women do not play the didgeridoo, a long, hollow wooden tube played by buzzing the lips into one end. [Head of the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Mark] Rose said that women who break that taboo could face infertility or worse.” Rose told the Australian Broadcasting Company […]
International News: Chinese Book Fair, and Random's South African Expansion
Consultant Rudiger Wischenbart is blogging from the Beijing Book Fair–this year actually being held 70 miles away in Tianjin. Among the currents in Chinese publishing, he sees a maturing and ambitious industry that wants to “localize” licensed international content to be more appropriate for the Chinese audience. He says the Chinese also hope to license and export more of their books to the rest of the world. Booklab A report from Technology Media & Technology China says that vice minister of the General Administration of Press and Publication Yan Xiaohong indicated at a convention forum “that the government would adopt […]
Japan's Shrinking Publishing Business
The Japan Times looks at the long-term trend of a shrinking publishing business in Japan. (Note carefully that they include books, magazines and manga together in a single category.) With sales of approximately $18.365 billion annually (2.08 trillion yen) sales are falling about three percent a year, and are down 21 percent since 1996. Readership is dropping, and so are the number of sales outlets: “Hundreds of small and midsize bookstores have closed in recent years. The number of shops belonging to the Japan Booksellers Federation, a national industry group of bookstores selling newly published books, came to 5,869 in […]