Hachette Book Group has purchased Sterling Publishing from Barnes & Noble. The acquisition includes imprints Union Square & Co., Union Square Kids, Boxer Books, Puzzlewright Press, Sterling Ethos, and Spark Notes, as well as stationery publishers. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. The group will continue to be led by Emily Meehan, who will report to Grand Central president and publisher Ben Sevier. According to a release, “All Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.’s staff, publishing assets and trademarks will transfer to Hachette Book Group.” The publisher has approximately 14,500 titles in print and ebook. HBG will assume Union Square’s distribution […]
Former Giller Winner Asks To Be Removed From Prize Site
Madeleine Thien, author of 2016 Giller Prize winning Do Not Say We Have Nothing, has asked the prize to remove her name, image, and work, from their website in protest to their ongoing sponsorship by Scotiabank. According to a letter sent by Thien to Giller Foundation advisory council members Margaret Atwood and Daphna Rabinovitch, and intended for wider circulation among the board of directors and advisory council, Rabinovitch led Thien to believe that the prize planned to break from the bank. Thien and other past Giller winners then helped Rabinovitch raise money for the 2024 prize winners and shortlist. “I […]
Harper Strikes Deal to License Nonfiction Books for AI; Makes Offer to Authors
Harper Collins has negotiated a licensing agreement with the one of the major AI companies “to allow limited use of select nonfiction backlist titles for training AI models to improve model quality and performance.” The company has briefed some agents on the deal and started by making offers to a modest set of authors to sign a contract amendment agreeing to participate in the deal. They say in a statement to PL, “While we believe this deal is attractive, we respect the various views of our authors, and they have the choice to opt in to the agreement or to […]
People 11/15
Giving Thanks and Moving Ahead
It’s been a topsy turvy time recently for all kinds of reasons, which has delayed our annual marking of the occasion. But even in difficult times it’s important to make room for gratitude and appreciation of anything good. So with a mix of humility and irrepressible hope for the future, we admit to our aging: Publishers Marketplace is now a mature-sounding 23 years old — launched at another time of significant uncertainty, months after the first dot-com bubble burst and just weeks after 9/11 (and that means Publishers Lunch will turn 25 next spring). As I express regularly, we’re here […]
B&N Workers Rally for Union Contract
On Thursday, Barnes & Noble employees rallied outside of its flagship store and corporate headquarters in Union Square to demand their first contract be reached by the end of the year. The employees of the unionized stores in NYC–Union Square, Park Slope, and the Upper West Side–are members of RWDSU, and were joined by workers from other unionized bookstores including The Strand and McNally Jackson. “The company’s refusal to pay a fair wage has thus far prevented the union from settling the first union contracts and getting union benefits, healthcare, and protection from store closure and relocation,” the union said […]