Louise Dennys will step aside from the day-to-day management of the Knopf Random Canada Publishing Group “to have the freedom to focus more fully on what she loves best: working directly with writers of both fiction and non-fiction and bringing their books to readers.” Dennys will have the new role of executive publisher, Random House of Canada, “designed especially to harness her great strengths in national and international book publishing.” Company ceo Brad Martin writes, “There are few who can rival Louise’s taste and judgment as an editor and publisher, and the impact she has had on Canadian publishing is […]
International News
Harlequin Continues To Slide
Canada’s Torstar reported results for the third quarter, with both sales and profits down again to book publisher Harlequin. Sales of $100.6 million (CA) were down $7.2 million (-6.7%) and operating profit of $13.3 million was $5.2 million lower than a year ago (-28%). The book unit has modest “restructuring and other charges” in the period of about $750,000. Digital comprised 25.2 percent of third quarter sales, compared to 20.3 percent a year ago, “largely reflecting growth in overseas digital revenues.” Looking forward, the company says “with revenues weaker than anticipated through the first nine months of the year, Harlequin’s […]
Sales Fall At Indigo, Which Suspends Dividend to Drive Store Renovations
Canada’s Indigo reported sales of $179 million for their fiscal second quarter (ending September 28), down 3.3 percent overall, and a bigger net loss of $10 million, compared to $4 million a year ago. Same-store superstore sales were down 2.8 percent, while comps at their smaller-format stores declined 8.2 percent. Modest online sales of $18.7 million were $600,000 higher than a year ago. The company says it is happily undergoing to a transition to a broader type of retailer. CEO Heather Reisman tells shareholders, “We have developed a bold vision to become a booklovers’ lifestyle company — optimizing our core […]
People, Etc.
Laura Ferguson will join Open Road Media later this month as vp, special markets. Previously, she was director of premium, corporate and customer driven publishing at Simon & Schuster. Emily Keyes has joined Foreword Literary as an agent. Previously she was an agent at the L. Perkins Agency. French spy novelist Gerard de Villiers, 83, died Thursday in Paris of pancreatic cancer. De Villiers was the author of 200 novels featuring CIA contractor Malko Linge, the first appearing in 1964 and the last published in France last month. Five of his novels will be published by Vintage beginning in 2014, […]
A New Name for Random House Mondadori
Now that Penguin Random House owns all of the Spanish-language company founded and still operating as Random House Mondadori, they are taking the logical step of renaming the unit. It will be called Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial. Additionally, the group’s Literatura Mondadori imprint will change its name to Literatura Random House. Aside from the new names, there are no other changes at the division, which remains under the leadership of ceo Núria Cabutí. She says in the announcement, “Today we begin our life as Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, bringing with us the fantastic legacy of our history in Spanish-language […]
Danish Publisher First to Issue House of Cards Revision
Denmark’s Gyldendal announced that they will be the first publisher to issue a revised edition of British politician and author Michael Dobbs’ novel HOUSE OF CARDS. The house says it was their “encourage[ment]” that prompted Dobbs to create a new ending — and then a complete revision — following renewed interest prompted by the Netflix series. Dobbs says in their statement: “I hadn’t re-read it since I typed ‘The End’ twenty-five years ago. When I did read it once again, I thought it was still a great story but showed some signs of being a ‘first effort.’ I’ve learned a […]