ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, announced a partnership between its digital-only imprint 8th Note Press and Zando to expand into print books. Zando “will debut its titles for the first time in print to a worldwide audience.” The two companies plan to release 10 to 15 romance, romantasy, and YA titles a year in print, beginning in early 2025, with a focus on millennial and Gen Z readers. Under the partnership, some titles will be completely new and others will be print versions of existing e-books. 8th Note’s head of editorial Jacob Bronstein told the NYT, “Physical books […]
Record Fall/Frankfurt Adult Deals Follow Big Third Quarter
Yes, your fall and pre-Frankfurt deal submissions really have been even more overwhelming than usual this year. As we noted yesterday, US publishers were strong buyers in the third quarter of the year and that continued in October, as we saw new records for overall deals during this key five-week-plus selling stretch, lifted by adult books in particular. (As a reminder, we measure the five weeks and a day leading up to the Wednesday opening of FBF. Usually that begins with Labor Day, though last year and this year Frankfurt is a week later than usual.) US deals were up […]
Announced: Pope Francis’s Autobiography; A Pub Date (and A Different Publisher) For Diller Memoir; Suzanne Collins Cover Reveal
Random House, an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, will publish HOPE, in the US. Italian publisher Mondadori announced the forthcoming publication of HOPE, the autobiography of Pope Francis, which will be published simultaneously worldwide next January, and for which the Italian publisher is managing world rights. Molly Turpin at Random House acquired world English rights (joined by Penguin Random House Canada and Viking UK). They say the pontiff has been working on the book for six years, written with publisher Carlo Musso. The release says, “In accordance with the wishes of Pope Francis, this […]
An Actual Taylor Swift Book Due November 29 As A Target Exclusive
What may be the biggest book of the year is coming exclusively from a big box retailer and does not appear to involve a traditional publisher: Taylor Swift will publish her first official book on November 29, TAYLOR SWIFT: The Eras Tour Book, being sold exclusively at Target “while supplies last.” The 256-page book, priced at $39.99, promises “over 500 images, including never-before-seen performance photos from every era as well as exclusive rehearsal photos and behind-the-scenes images of instruments, costumes, set pieces and designer sketches used throughout the tour.” It also includes “personal reflections and notes written by Taylor herself […]
Spotify Expands Audiobooks to France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg
At an event in Paris, Spotify announced an expansion of their audiobooks efforts, now providing premium subscribers in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg with 12 hours of included free audiobook listening every month. Managing Director, Spotify Western Europe Antoine Monin says in the announcement, “Spotify’s reach presents a significant opportunity to expand the audiobooks market across France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.” He indicates they have added 15,000 French and 15,000 Dutch and Flemish titles to their catalog. Spotify launched their offering of free audiobook listening a year ago, and they say in the release, “While it’s still early […]
Unionized BN Employees Protest At Bloomington, IL Store
Unionized employees at Barnes & Noble in Bloomington, IL walked off the job site to protest in front of the store for seven hours on October 11 over contract negotiations with the company. The union is asking for fair wages, healthcare and union benefits, protection from store closures, and more. This is the first time a B&N union in the midwest has gone on strike. Employees said in a local news report that the store is understaffed and not keeping up with the state’s minimum wage requirements. Senior bookseller Thaddeus Stoklasa said, “We are walking off the job today to […]