Longtime publishing and distribution executive Gilbert Perlman, 72, died on May 26, “suddenly, but on his own terms,” his children write. “He spent his final moments outside on a beautiful day, sitting in an Adirondack chair in the yard he loved so much. For someone who adamantly didn’t want to waste away or make things ‘harder’ on his family, this was fitting.” Perlman was an executive at Random House in the 1990s, including serving as evp of Ballantine and the Randomsoft software line, before setting up the first Random House Client Services distribution division in 1997, where he was president. […]
Uncategorized
Storytel Acquires Overamstel
Storytel has acquired Overamstel, based in The Netherlands and Belgium, which they call “one of the company’s core markets.” Founded in 2007, Overamstel had sales of €17.4 million in 2025. Current ceo Martijn Griffioen will continue in his role following the acquisition. Though Storytel’s core business is audio publishing, their book publishing division had record sales for 2025 of SEK1.274 billion, or approximately $130 million.
Literati Sold to Trustbridge Partners
Austin, Texas based Literati has been acquired by Trustbridge Partners, and plans to use the new support to “increase its reach into schools and to provide a wealth of quality reading material combined with new fundraising solutions.” Founded in 2016 to provide monthly subscription services for children’s books, Literati expanded in 2022 when they acquired Follett School Solutions’ struggling school book fair business. In the announcement, Literati says their book fairs have “nearly $40 million in revenue” and reach 2.5 million students. Terms of the sale were not disclosed, but Literati is reported to have raised at least $52 million […]
Scholastic Sales Slip in the Third Quarter; Announces Big Share Repurchase and Dutch Auction
Scholastic reported results from its third quarter, ended February 28, with sales down 2 percent to $329 million. Operating loss increased 13 percent to $(26.9) million and operating loss before one-time items was down 16 percent to $(24.3) million. Adjusted EBITDA fell to $0 from $6 million, attributed to the sale-leaseback transactions on their properties. At the same time, the company announced a $200 million “modified Dutch auction tender offer,” buying back shares at a price range of between $36 to $40 per share. That auction is part of a new $300 million repurchase plan, with “the remaining portion of […]
Al Zuckerman Dies at 94
Founder of Writers House and chairman emeritus Albert Zuckerman, 94, has died, of natural causes. The agency writes: “A true legend of the industry, Al was the agent for some of the most important and best-read writers of our time, helping to bring era-defining books to tens of millions of readers around the world, including Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, Michael Lewis’s Moneyball and Professor Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time.” “At the beginning of his storied career, Al was a one-man shop, taking business meetings in a bank lobby; Al retired in 2020 after nearly 50 years, having overseen the […]
Authors and Editors Conversation #2 from Our Buzz Books Spring Summer 2026 Fiction Panel: LJ Ross’s IMPOSTOR
Today we bring you the second Authors and Editors conversation from our recent fiction panel with the brilliant LJ Ross and her Sourcebooks Poisoned Pen editor Anna Michels for IMPOSTOR, which published yesterday. Enjoy!