Bankrupt German book wholesaler KNV (Koch, Neff and Volckmar) was auctioned by the trustee to Berlin-based privately owned logistics company Zeitfracht. The sale price was not disclosed, but the creditors’ committees have approved the purchase agreement. Zeitfracht says it will retain all employees — approximately 1,600 jobs — and continue to operate KNV’s three locations. Press release Subscription service Scribd is formally rolling out Snapshots (which launched in beta in February), “designed to offer key insights of a book in about 15 minutes to spark subscribers’ interest in reading the book in its entirety.” It’s “the literary equivalent of a […]
International News
Briefs: Realignments, Initiatives, and More
Realigning Two UK publishers announced internal realignments. Ebury is adding “self” and “lifestyle/BBC” publishing “hubs” to the smart and entertainment hubs they created earlier this year — and now publicity and marketing are being brought closer together. It seems publicity is now called “campaigns,” with Joanna Bennett promoted to head of campaigns for the Smart hub, Tessa Henderson is head of campaigns for Entertainment; Stephanie Naulls has that position for Lifestyle/BBC; and they are recruiting someone for self. Separately, marketing becomes a Marketing, Insight & Digital centre (not a hub, or even a spoke), and will “share new digital resources […]
Andrews McMeel to Print Epic’s Digital Originals; Octopus Acquires Short Books
Andrews McMeel will publish a new line of printed children’s books based on digital originals from the children’s subscription service Epic!, which says it is “used by more than 10 million children in homes and schools.” (In March, Epic! said they had over 1.7 million subscribers.) Those Epic! Originals have drawn over 8 million reads through the service “in just a few short months,” with one title, “My Pet Slime,” read over 1 million times in just eight weeks. That will be one of the first five titles published in print starting this fall. AMP publisher and president Kirsty Melville […]
Briefs: Book Tariffs, Amazon’s UK Pop-Ups
There was little news from Book Expo, so the AP’s round-up piece looks in part at a number of issues weighing on the publishing community that were not addressed at the convention — including the looming potential tariffs on printed books imported from China. Hachette Book Group ceo Michael Pietsch comments: “Following so soon after the major shortages last fall that resulted from domestic print-capacity reductions, these tariffs will bring further disruptions in one of the most important US industries.” (China’s own demand for paper, and growing control of paper mills around the world, is also a factor in the […]
Hachette Book Group, IPG Add Distribution Programs for Indies; Pottermore Moves to New Warner JV, and More
The steady stream continues of publishers offering programs to encourage independent booksellers to order directly, following Baker & Taylor‘s announcement on May 1 that they will withdraw from trade wholesaling. The latest announcements are from Hachette Book Group and Independent Publishers Group. Under the HBG plan, any independent bookstore who does not already have an HBG account can participate, with August 30 as the deadline for the first order. Benefits include: expedited account set-up; no minimum quantity on the bookstore’s initial order; expedited credit approval; additional discounts; and more. HBG evp group sales director Alison Lazarus said in the release, […]
Briefs: Dykstra Sues Over Darling Book, Bertelsmann Restructures Printing Group
Legal Former NY Mets player Lenny Dykstra has sued Ron Darling, his former teammate, as well as his publisher St. Martin’s in New York Supreme Court for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. At issue is a passage in the just-published 108 Stitches: Loose Threads, Ripping Yarns, and the Darndest Characters from My Time in the Game. According to Darling’s book, Dykstra hurled racist comments at Boston Starter Oil Can Boyd while he warmed up for Game 3 of the 1986 World Series; Darling wrote, “the worst collection of taunts and insults I’d ever heard — worse, I’m betting, […]