Former HarperCollins ceo Jane Friedman officially announced her new venture Open Road Integrated Media at Frankfurt today, though the unit was first reported on in August when her funding of $3 million was disclosed. The company describes itself as a “content marketing company that places the e-book in the center of a multi-platform universe which includes film, video and other forms of digital entertainment.” They’ll produced enhanced ebooks “featuring both aggregated and originally produced video and audio content such as author profiles, behind the scenes features and mini-docs.” Focusing initially on backlist works from successful authors–similar to the model initiated […]
New Follett Trilogy Will Debut In Five Languages A Year from Now
Two years ago at Frankfurt Writers House lined up approximately $50 million worth of contracts for Ken Follett’s new trilogy The Century, and at this year’s show the agency is announcing publication on September 28, 2010 of FALL OF GIANTS, the first installment in that new line. Further books will follow in two-year intervals. GIANTS is described as “following the destinies of five interrelated families – one American, one Russian, one German, one English and one Welsh – through the earth-shaking events of the First World War and the Russian Revolution.” Penguin will publish in the US; Pan Macmillan in […]
After Saying He Wouldn't Sell Any More of CBS, Redstone Files to Do Just That
Sumner Redstone’s National Amusements filed offerings with the SEC to sell approximately $345 million worth of shares in CBS and $600 million of shares in Viacom in order to pay off the company’s debt. Redstone and the company first came under pressure when the stock market collapsed this time a year ago. At the time, National Amusement had to dump $400 million in shares in both companies in a falling market to meet margin calls and comply with their credit agreements. In the ensuing negotiations, Redstone pledged over and over again that he would not sell any more stock in […]
Everyone's Got a Frankfurt Press Release
One of the more interesting comes from LibreDigital, which assembled “aggregate statistics on how books are being browsed across retail and social networking sites.” They found that women browse more–comprising 54 percent of viewers, but spending “nearly 70 percent more time browsing books online than men do.” That makes it no surprise that the most popular genre browsed is romance novels. They were followed by books for tweens/teens and business books. On average, browsers looked at 46 pages of each book viewed. CEO Russell Reader says “We know that allowing readers to preview book chapters before buying has a positive […]
PFD Is Representing Horror Film Maker
It shows you what the once-illustrious British literary agency has become, as their Frankfurt announcement is representation for Hammer Films–maker of movies like Dracula and Curse of Frankenstein in the 50s, and moribund since the mid-80s, now returning to filmmaking. PFD’s Caroline Michel says they will “bring new life to the brand with exciting contemporary writers,” trying to pitch the horror movie company as just like the James Bond franchise.Variety
Fewer English-Speakers, But the World Still Gathers In Frankfurt
At the official opening press conference for the Frankfurt Book Fair today, show director Juergen Boos noted that “the economic crisis has also left its mark on the Book Fair: particularly our colleagues from the English- speaking world have reduced exhibition space due to economic developments. Eastern European exhibitors are also not present in the same numbers as last year.” But overall exhibition space is down just 2 percent this year, and Boos told the Fair’s own Publishing Perspectives more bluntly, “If you’re talking about an economic crisis, then you have to talk about an economic crisis hitting American and […]