Monday, September 11   Our Usual Reminder If for some reason this has reached you even though you are not a paying member of PublishersMarketplace, please visit the link below to join us all the time for complete deal reports and more. Click to register http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/register.shtml 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 […]

Scholastic Withdraws 9/11 Tie-In Materials Scholastic has been snared in the controversy over ABC’s planned airing of the “docudrama” Path to 9/11. They announced yesterday that they are removing classroom guide materials posted on their web site, offered to 25,000 high school teachers, that were to accompany the show. Scholastic says they are creating a new discussion guide that “will focus more specifically on media literacy, critical thinking, and historical background” to take advantage of this “teachable moment.” (The moment may diminish, however, if ABC gives in to pressure to not air the show.) Release Penguin Defends Expensive Serial Penguin […]

Frey Settlement Deal is Close Following a rumor report from Radar a few days ago, the NYT also says that Random House and James Frey are close to settling class action suits brought over the merchandising of A MILLION LITTLE PIECES as nonfiction. While Random House’s standard policy has always allowed for refunds to consumers who buy directly from their site, and via booksellers with purchase receipt, the settlement as reported by “a person familiar with the negotiations” would be much simpler (and more generous) for consumers. They would simply need to submit a selected page or piece of packaging […]

Sales Rise at Random Bertelsmann issued their earnings report for the first half of the fiscal year, reporting increased revenues at Random House of 859 million euros (up from 799 million euros a year ago), and “stable” earnings of 48 million euros. The company attributes the performance “mainly to year-on-year performance improvements in North America and Germany and a continued high level of profitability in the United Kingdom.” German sales include the addition of the recently-acquired DVA, Kosel, and Manesse imprints. (The company does not break out a comp-sales measurement that excludes the new units.) Bertelsmann’s performance was helped by […]

Beijing Fair News The latest news from China is that Wolters Kluwer has been approved to open the country’s first foreign-run bookstore for professional publications in Beijing, in partnership with China Law Press, according to an FT report. AFX recap Harper made the expected noise with their announcements from China. Working with The People’s Literature Publishing House, they will publish five Chinese “classics” for the English-language market. The two will publish 12-year-old Nancy Yi Fan’s SWORDBIRD in the US, UK and China. And Harper is launching an online English-Chinese translation dictionary and an English dictionary for students learning English, Cidian.cn. […]

Tuesday, September 5   Our Usual Reminder If for some reason this has reached you even though you are not a paying member of PublishersMarketplace, please visit the link below to join us all the time for complete deal reports and more. Click to register http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/register.shtml 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 […]