There was one, and only one, surprise for trade publishers at last week’s press conference to introduce the Kindle DX, but its impact is still being examined carefully at multiple publishers. It came when Amazon ceo Jeff Bezos said “Kindle sales are now 35 percent of books where we have Kindle editions” and print editions of the same title. Bezos indicated the increase was “coincident with the launch of Kindle 2.” That jaw-dropping figure, such as it is, was more than three times the ratio that Amazon had reported previously, first in October and then again in February when Kindle […]
Bertelsmann Suffers in Downturn
Bertelsmann issued a first quarter overview and said that for the full year, they expect both “revenues and operating profit to decline.” Sales from continuing operations were 3.5 billion euros for the quarter, down 8 percent from 3.8 billion euros a year ago. Operating EBIT fell sharply at 115 million euros, compared to 253 million euros a year ago, and they recorded a net operating loss of 78 million euros. No breakdowns were provided for individual units of the company. The company says “coming months will continue to be dominated by strict cost discipline.” Though recent efforts have aimed at […]
Alarms on ePiracy
Though the torrent sites would appear to have had limited pirating of books, the rise of document-posting sites like Scribd and Wattpad and services that make it easier to upload and share large file like RapidShare are seen as enabling a rise in book piracy online. Hachette Book Group ceo David Young says “It’s exponentially up.” He adds, “Our legal department is spending an ever-increasing time policing sites where copyrighted material is being presented.” Wiley says they employee three people to search for unauthorized copies and issue takedown notices. On the other hand, though, you could also see it as […]
Lunch Weekly for Monday, May 11
Deal Reports Just e-mail to deals@PublishersMarketplace if you aren’t using the online form linked below. Report a deal using the online form The Key As usual, the handy key to our Lunch deal categories. While all reports are always welcome, those that include a category will generally receive a higher listing when it comes time to put them all together. “nice deal” $1 – $49,000 “very nice deal” $50,000 – $99,000 “good deal” $100,000 – $250,000 “significant deal” $251,000 – $499,000 “major deal” $500,000 and up FICTION Debut New York Social Diary contributing editor, CEO of wealth management firm […]
Princeton Kindle Pilot Focuses on Reducing Printing, Not Replacing Textbooks
Princeton University says they are testing the Kindle DX for the same reason that many publishers bought Sony Readers for staff: to save on printing and photocopying. At a site to explain the pilot, the university says, “A driving factor in the launch of this pilot was the patterns of printing on campus. Statistics show that students are not reading digital articles and book selections on their computer screens, but rather downloading the same files again and again, and printing them multiple times in the course of a semester…. Since the inception of digital document delivery on campus, printing has […]
People
Ten Speed Press acting publisher Aaron Wehner now formally has the publisher’s job, reporting to Crown Publishing Group president Jenny Frost. Wehner joined Ten Speed in 1997, and Frost notes he “has been instrument in establishing Ten Speed as one of leading cookbook publishers in the country, and the cookbooks he has edited have received a remarkable 20 James Beard and IACP nominations, garnering 11 wins.” Jane Mayer‘s THE DARK SIDE: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals won 2009 New York Public Library Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism […]