Kara Thornton has been promoted to director of publicity at Running Press.
Dutch Publisher Develops AI Books
Dutch nonfiction publisher Maven has developed AI books, allowing readers to engage with a title by messaging with it. Built on the full text of a book—but without the ability to read straight through—the AI book is embedded as a WhatsApp contact and works by messaging in the app. The company markets the AI book as its own separate format, to sit alongside a regular full-text edition. “Although this is not a linear one,” Maven publisher Sanders Ruys said. “You don’t consume it from start to finish.” The AI book is built to be conversational, and users can ask it […]
Imprints: August Books
Canelo Group has launched a new division called August Books, which they describe as “the home of non-fiction and historical adventure at The Canelo Group.” Martina O’Sullivan has joined to lead the new division as executive publisher. She previously worked for 20 years in trade, scholarly and academic publishing. Craig Lye serves as commissioning editor. O’Sullivan said in the release, “It’s such a privilege to start something new, and incredible to combine that creative freedom with the existing knowledge and expertise of the Canelo team.”
Wiley’s Learning Division Outperforms
Wiley announced earnings for the fiscal third quarter ended January 31, reporting sales of $461 million, down 6 percent from the previous year, due to divesting some businesses, and declines in others that were held for sale. The operating loss improved to $(46.4) million, compared to $(67.1) million last year, still impacted by an $82 million impairment charge for the Wiley Edge business that is being sold and another $15 million in restructuring charges. But the net loss of $(112.3 million) was higher, compared to $(77.5 million), due to a $52 million loss on the sale of a business and […]
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OUP Shipments to Be Disrupted During Systems Upgrade
Oxford University Press will pause some of its distribution operations in its US and UK warehouses as it upgrades to a new resource planning system. “For a number of weeks” between mid-March and mid-April, the company “will not be able to process sales orders or invoices, issue purchase orders, or respond as quickly as we would normally do to customer and supplier queries,” they announce on their website. “Shipments from our UK and US warehouses will also be disrupted during the same period and some purchase options on our ecommerce sites will also be offline.” In the US, they will […]