Knopf will publish Ian McEwan‘s new novel WHAT WE CAN KNOW on September 16, 2025. Jordan Pavlin, Knopf evp, publisher and editor in chief calls the book a “literary love story, a murder mystery” and says “the plot pivots on a legendary dinner party, and the recitation of a poem that is heard once and then lost for all time.” Rights were acquired from Georges Borchardt, with Knopf executive editor John Freeman editing.
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Christian Publishing, Digital Sales Up at Harper Collins
News Corp announced results for the second quarter ended December 31, reporting sales at Harper Collins of $595 million, up 8 percent. On a call with investors, News Corp ceo Robert Thomson attributed the growth to Bible sales and strong performance from Harper Collins UK. Top titles in the quarter included Cher’s memoir, Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, and Laurie Gilmore’s The Pumpkin Spice Café. EBITDA grew 19 percent to $101 million due to the increase in overall sales in print and digital, “partially offset by higher manufacturing costs due to higher sales volume and higher employee costs.” The company reports that […]
Forthcoming: ‘Queen Esther’ by John Irving
Simon & Schuster will publish John Irving‘s new novel QUEEN ESTHER on November 4, 2025. The novel revisits the orphanage in St. Cloud’s, Maine that provides the setting for Irving’s novel The Cider House Rules. It follows “Esther Nacht, a Viennese-born Jew,” who is abandoned at age four and taken in at age fourteen by “a philanthropic New England family, becoming both a mystery and a guardian angel to them.” The novel ends in Jerusalem in 1981. Simon & Schuster president and ceo Jonathan Karp acquired audio, first serial, US and open market rights from Janet Turnbull at The Turnbull […]
Open Road Highlights Growth, Consumer Reach
In his yearly letter to employees, Open Road ceo David Steinberger notes the company’s growth, and its success in targeting readers. The number of titles in Ignition, Open Road’s ebook backlist marketing program, increased 44 percent, “the largest annual title increase in our history.” Steinberger also notes that the Amazon star ratings for Ignition titles has increased over time. According to data shared with PL, 50 percent of books with a rating of 3.1–3.3 made it to 4 stars within 3–5 years. That number goes up to 58 percent for books that started with a 3.4–3.6 rating and 59 percent for […]