In contrast to the WSJ story about college textbook companies that sell students lightly customized books and pay colleges royalties to help keep the students locked in to over-priced books, USA Today reports on an alternative approach. Open textbooks “are free textbooks available online that are licensed to allow users to download, customize and print any part of the text. Professors can change content to fit their teaching styles. Some authors offer a print-on-demand service that produces professionally bound copies for $10 to $20.” Eric Frank, who used to work for Pearson Education, launched Flat World Knowledge with a partner […]
UK Market-Share Stats
Here are figures for the first 24 weeks of 2008, according to Nielsen BookScan Total Consumer Market: UK Market-Shate Publisher Sales (pounds) Share 20081 Hachette Livre UK £105,912,663 15.3%2 Random House £104,515,833 15.1% 3 Penguin £68,827,003 9.9%4 HarperCollins £56,790,193 8.2%5 Pan Macmillan £23,543,369 3.4%6 Bloomsbury £17,316,123 2.5%7 Pearson Education £13,023,242 1.9%8 OUP £12,770,894 1.8%9 John Wiley £11,900,951 1.7%10 Simon & Schuster £11,195,056 1.6%
Personnel News
In the Dutton and Gotham publicity department, Beth Parker has been promoted to associate publicity director and Amanda Walker has been promoted to publicity manager.
August 2008 Indie Next
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows The Lace Reader: A Novel by Brunonia Barry The Gargoyle: A Novel by Andrew DavidsonThe 19th Wife: A Novel by David EbershoffThe Seamstress: A Novel by Frances De Pontes Peebles What Happened to Anna K.: A Novel by Irina ReynIodine: A Novel by Haven KimmelThe Likeness: A Novel by Tana FrenchAwesome by Jack PendarvisBikeman: An Epic Poem by Thomas F. Flynn The Little Book: A Novel by Selden EdwardsThe Spirit of the Place by Samuel ShemThe Mercy Rule: A Novel by Perri KlassWaiter Rant: Thanks […]
David Morrell's Graphic "Knockout"
The AP enthuses over the author’s stand-alone comic-book miniseries Captain America: The Chosen, from Marvel. Morrell says in the afterword he wanted to “dramatize the burden of being a superhero in today’s troubled world, especially a superhero named after the United States.” The wire calls it a “poignant, yet uplifting, story with psychological dimensions that transcends the genre.”AP
Chicago's Afrocentric Books to Close
Desiree Sanders, 41, founder and president of Chicago’s Afrocentric Bookstore, says: “The last year has not been good for us as far as customers. It is with much regret that I complete the process of closing our doors after 18 years of service to the Black community. I know by closing I am leaving a void in the Black community but the economics to stay open just aren’t there anymore.”Chicago Reader In Philadelphia, Molly’s Bookstore is selling off inventory and will close. Owner Molly Russakoff says: “The whole nature of the business changed from a laid-back, sociable job to a […]