We’ve often wondered when publishers would find ways of saying “yes” to the slush pile instead of turning customers away. Having discussed the possibility at TOC last winter, Thomas Nelson has launched a self-publishing imprint, WestBow Press–though they are outsourcing the bulk of the operation to self-publishing giant Author Solutions. AS will design, publish and distribute the books. Nelson’s primary roles appears to be sharing revenue and promising customers an “opportunity to be discovered by parent company Thomas Nelson…. For authors who hope to one day be signed by a traditional publisher, this is an opportunity to get your foot […]
People
Lonely Planet has hired John Boris as managing director for the Americas. He was svp of marketing and interactive for Zagat’s. In a piece about the company, All Things Digital cites new ceo Matt Goldberg reporting that “Lonely Planet’s digital businesses have doubled their revenues to $20 million this year via premium pricing and advertising.” Lonely Planet was an early and successful player in building an online community of their fans/customers (including 700,000 registered members in their Thorn Tree community.) Among their digital initiatives, Goldberg cites “500,000 downloads from around 70 premium-priced apps” on various mobile platforms. ATD says, “While […]
Thomas Nelson Adds A Self-Publishing Line
We always wondered who would be first to find a way to say “yes” to the slush pile, and it turns out to be Nelson. Oddly, Nelson is outsourcing the job to self-publishing giant Author Solutions, which will design, publish and distribute the books under the name West Bow Press. Nelson won’t edit the books either. So what will they do? Share revenue, and “monitor sales to identify potential big sellers.”WSJ
Bookselling: Vroman's to Buy Book Soup, and More
Vroman’s of Pasadena has entered into an agreement to buy West Hollywood’s Book Soup from the heirs of the late Glenn Goldman. Vroman’s president Allison Hill told the LAT “Glenn and I had talked about it…and we’ve been in conversations with the seller since January.” Hill was the manager of Book Soup for six years. “There is an authenticity to what Book Soup is that we intend on honoring. We would be crazy to do this otherwise.” LAT But in a second LAT piece, there is hand-wringing over change (rather than celebration that the store will persist. Book Soup general […]
BN eReader Unveiling Next Week?; Amazon UK Prices Aim at $13.95
Barnes & Noble is holding an event at Chelsea Piers next week, on October 20, billed as “a major event in our company’s history,” so the NYT speculates that’s when they will unveil their own branded ereading device. The Times also “reports” on what Lunch revealed in July: that Barnes & Noble has been negotiating with publishers to give ebook purchasers the right to “lend” their ebooks to other people. (At the time we reported on it, the proposal under discussion would allow “lending” the ebook to one person at a time, up to three or four times, with DRM […]
People
Vicki Lame has been promoted to associate editor at St. Martin’s. John Freeman, who was named acting editor of Granta after the departure of Alex Clark in May, has been made editor on a permanent basis, The Bookseller reports.http://www.thebookseller.com/news/99842-freeman-named-granta-editor-on-permanent-basis.html.rss Mystery writer Stuart Kaminsky, 75, died last Friday. Sarah Weinman rounds up the coverage and testimonials.