Former Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold’s lavish self-published six-volume cookbook MODERNIST CUISINE, listing for $625, has been eagerly anticipated by some foodies. In a blog posting earlier this week, Myhrvold explained to customers and fans that publication has been delayed and they will miss this Christmas, now looking for a publication date of March 14. It turns out book publishing is more complicated than it looks. The fundamental work of “proofreading and correction 2,400 pages…has been taking longer than we expected to complete.” They have also had to work out the kinks in shipping 40 pounds worth of book without damage: […]
Small/Indie Publishers
Understanding the Digital Divide for Smaller Publishers
The rise of digital publishing and the coming of the agency sales model raise all kinds of urgent issues for publishers of all sizes. What applies to the biggest publishers may not be the same for smaller companies. Earlier this month Perseus surveyed its approximately 300 distribution clients (over 100 of whom use their digital distribution service Constellation) to learn more about their digital views. The approximately 70 responses provide an interesting glimpse of the “digital divide” between large and small publishers. One big, unanswered strategic question for the company is how to deal with the agency sales model. Will […]
WSJ Gives UK Indie Publishers Some Love
The WSJ covers the resilience and success of some of the UK’s best independent publishers, giving Jamie Byng’s Canongate in particular the kind of press he gets all the time in the UK. In each case, one big author or book has lifted the entire house. Barack Obama the author has taken Canongate to new heights financially; Atlantic Books’ sales “more than doubled…thanks largely” to The White Tiger; and Steig Larsson has rescued the otherwise-overextended Quercus. Faber and Faber sales director Will Atkinson quips, “There are some big publishers who can’t go to the toilet without looking at BookScan. They […]
Barefoot Path to Success
With their 1,000-square-foot boutique in the Fifth Avenue FAO Schwarz opening on Thursday, Cambridge children’s publisher Barefoot Books is the focus of a feature in the Boston Globe. “Under the deal, FAO Schwarz isn’t charging rent, but revenue from book sales will be split 50-50.” (Schwarz ceo Ed Schmults made the deal after visting Barefoot’s store in Cambridge. “The deal vindicated [owner Nancy] Traversy’s decision to keep the 7-year-old shop open. Though her company as a whole is profitable, the store has never made a profit.” With reported sales of $6.8 million last year, the company’s revenues come in a […]