Distribution News With O’Reilly Media set to make their distribution switch to the Ingram Book Group next month, Ingram has announced the signing of four additional clients: the UK’s MQ Publications and Michael O’Mara Books, Michael Viner’s new company Phoenix Books and Audio, and Indian publisher Roli Books. Meanwhile, CDS has announced their first new client capture since being absorbed by the Perseus Book Group. Art book publisher and distributor D.A.P (Distributed Art Publishers) will use for CDS physical distribution and related services starting next month. Conflict at Canadian Broadcaster Complicates Fall Releases A labor lockout at Canada’s CBC Television […]

Eldest’s Turn Today is the release of summer’s second big fantasy novel, Christopher Paolini’s ELDEST, and a number of the nation’s papers take note and offer short author interviews. Originally set for a 1 million copy release, the initial run has been increased to 1.3 million and the book tops the Amazon list this morning. Paolini tells the Seattle Post-Intelligencer the depth of his enterprise struck him only recently when playing an online game: “One of the players was named Eragon. Much to my horror, he was actually pretty good and I found a message flashed across the screen — […]

Keller’s Letter Home NYT executive editor pens a letter to the editor of the newspaper’s Book Review responding to Richard Posner’s lengthy essay from late July about media bias: “Richard A. Posner has a famously prodigious and provocative mind. I always pick up a Posner essay expecting to be challenged by an original argument. So it was disheartening that his review of the latest crop of press-bashing books was mostly a regurgitation, as tendentious and cynical as the worst of the books he consumed.” Keller concludes, “I suppose the best refutation of the view that ‘the media’ are guided solely […]

Ownership Change Likely for Granta Owner of Granta Books and Granta Magazine Rea Hederman (who also owns the NY Review of Books) is contemplating retirement and talking to potential buyers for the properties. Granta Books publisher Gail Lynch tells PN, “He is looking either for a buyer or an investor. The ideal scenario would be to find another generous private individual who would buy the company from Rea and let it carry on as it is.” In 2004, the unit had sales of 2.3 million pounds, and profits of 168,000 pounds. The magazine says Bloomsbury and Macmillan are among those […]

BN Hits Targets Barnes & Noble’s second quarter earnings report met projections, with sales of $1.171 billion and net earnings of $13.5 million. The Harry Potter effect was felt throughout the company, as same-store sales at the superstores rose 4.3 percent. (For the year, comparable sales are still expected to rise about 3 percent.) That segment comprises most of the chain’s sales, $1.029 billion in all. CEO Steve Riggio says in the release, “The excitement generated by ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ boosted our traffic both in stores and online. Our business is on track as we prepare for […]

Bad News at Borders Despite the peppy language of their earnings release, Borders stumbled in their fiscal second quarter, caught by rising expenses and lower sales in the UK, even as US sales were on target. Investment in rebranding ailing Waldenbooks locations as Borders Express stores (44 outlets were reopened in the quarter, along with 36 upgraded Borders — now with coffee and stationery!) and low-margin Harry Potter sales are blamed for the plunge in net income, down to $1.3 million, from $7.9 million a year ago. Same-store US sales rose 1.8 percent at the superstores and 1.9 percent at […]