Bowker’s preliminary data for books published in the US in 2008 shows that output from traditional publishers declined by about 3 percent to 275,232 new titles. But they project that the number of “on demand” books grew 132 percent to 285,394 books, now exceeding the traditional titles. The biggest declines for traditional publishers came in travel (down by 15 percent, with 4,817 new titles), fiction (down 11 percent, with 47,541 new titles the largest of all categories), and religion (down 14 percent, at 16,847 titles).Release
Little, Brown Fills In Missing Pieces of THE LINK
The publisher has announced details about their closely-guarded book set for release on May 20, THE LINK, written by biologist Colin Tudge. It focuses on what they call “the astonishing new discovery that could change everything”–a previously-secret, perfectly fossilized early primate, “older than the previously most famous primate fossil, Lucy, by an astonishing forty-four million years,” held in a vault “deep within the heart of one of the world’s leading natural history museums.” Called Ida, they say this fossil “rewrites what we’ve assumed about the earliest primate origins” and the book offers “exclusive access to the ï¬rst scientists to study […]
Legal News: No Steinbeck Appeal; Larsson Estate Fight; Judge to Decide on TrumpNation Trial
Yesterday the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from John Steinbeck’s son Thomas and grandson Blake Smyle of last year’s Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that left control of the author’s copyrights with his widow Elaine and publisher Penguin under the terms of a 1994 agreement. In a statement, Thomas Steinbeck expressed “profound disappointment,” adding that “the Supreme Court could have protected all the authors and artists in America from a future of intellectual bondage to big corporate publishers.” He insists the denial does “not mean that the Second Circuit was correct, it only means that the Supreme […]
The eBook Pricing Problem
Over the weekend the NYT ran a week in review piece looking at the surface issues and concerns for both readers and publishers as a result of Amazon’s efforts to make $9.99 the standard ceiling for new and popular hardcovers in ebook versions. Author David Baldacci says “unfortunately there won’t be anyone selling it anymore because you just can’t make any money.” Simon & Schuster ceo Carolyn Reidy asserts that “what a consumer is buying is the content, not necessarily the format.” And Harper ceo Brian Murray says “If prices come down but the overall market is bigger, then we […]
People
Variety says that co-chief operating office of the William Morris Agency’s New York office Wayne Kabak is among approximately 100 staff members who are losing their jobs in advance of the pending merger with Endeavor. They note that the FTC and Justice Department have signed off on the merger, though the deal still needs approval from state labor commissioners in New York and California.Variety At Little Brown Children’s, Diane Cain has been hired for the new position of brand marketing director, James Patterson, reporting to deputy publisher Andrew Smith. Most recently she was executive director of marketing at Harper Children’s. […]
Lunch Weekly for Monday, May 18
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 Mark Keating’s THE PIRATE DEVLIN, a swashbuckling historical naval adventure set […]