Publishers Lunch

RH Buys Half of Scottish Publisher Random House UK has taken a fifty percent stake in Scottish nonfiction publisher Mainstream. Bill Campbell and Peter Mackenzie will continue as joint managing directors of the company, founded 27 years ago, and it will continue to operate from Edinburgh. Random UK’s Ian Hudson and Brian Davies will join Mainstream’s board, and RH “intends” to take over UK and international sales later this spring. Harper UK’s Soft Results Operating results for Harper UK released recently were covered by the Observer this weekend, showing sales down slightly to 165.5 million pounds and operating profits down […]

Bologna Report Publishing News has a long overview on the recent Bologna Book Fair, reporting a steady show with few big stories. “While still, to all intents, a fiction fair, it was noticeable, almost wherever you went, that publishers are not giving up on picture books. Despite a market, particularly in the US, that appears to have gone beyond freefall, and the directive from Waterstone’s that looks like it will see a two-thirds reduction in the number of picture books stocked, hopes were still high.” PN Book Sense Kid’s Picks Also on the children’s book front, Book Sense has posted […]

Suit Alleges BN Publishing Showed More than Bad Manners with Social Savvy Books Boston-based etiquette instructor/entrepreneur Judith Ré and her trademarked Social Savvy business are in a four-count trademark infringement battle with Barnes & Noble Publishing, the Boston Globe’s Alex Beam reports, with a court hearing scheduled for May 4. Ray contends that as soon as her own book SOCIAL SAVVY: A Teenager’s Guide to Feeling Confident in Any Situation went out of print last year, BN’s publishing line issued THE GIRL’S GUIDE TO SOCIAL SAVVY and THE GUY’S GUIDE TO SOCIAL SAVVY, authored by her local competitor Jodi R.R. […]

Bad News from Borders Yesterday the bookseller revised downward their sales and earnings guidance for the fiscal first quarter of 2005, ending later this month. Same-store sales at the superstores have declined 0.8 percent so far (and are down 3 percent at Walden), and they expect to record a loss for the quarter of .06 to .07 cents a share. It wasn’t that along ago (in early March) that the company was forecasting earnings of 0 to .02 cents a share for the quarter and a same-store sales increase in the “low single digits” at the Borders superstores. Fortunately for […]

Neumann to Leave FBF Early Ever since the Frankfurt Book Fair declined to renew Volker Neumann’s contract and appointed Jürgen Boos to replace him, it was considered doubtful that Neumann would serve out his contract, scheduled to run through the end of 2005. Now that Boos has started his job as president of the Fair (as of the beginning of April), Neumann will step down as co-president at the end of the month. “By mutual agreement,” Neumann will continue to serve as a consultant. Viacom Reports As expected, Viacom reported lower net income for their fiscal first quarter ($585 million, […]

Oprah’s Magazine Adds Books The Oprah Magazine will produce an annual series of hardcover books, beginning with LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE: A Treasury of Wisdom, Wit, Advice, Interviews and Inspiration from O, in partnership with Oxmoor House. They’ll push hard in direct mail marketing and sell to the trade through their Sunset Books and Leisure Arts divisions. Orange Shortlist Old Filth, by Jane Gardam The Mammoth Cheese, by Sheri Holman A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, by Marina Lewycka Liars and Saints, by Maile Meloy We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver Billie Morgan, by Joolz Denby […]