Bloomsbury reported sales for the first half of their fiscal year of 42.1 million pounds, down considerably from last year’s Potter-influenced 51.4 million pounds, though all divisions except for children’s showed growth in the period. Operating profits were up 6 percent at 3.45 million pounds (and the company made a healthy amount on their cash horde, recording over 1.9 million pounds in investment income). The UK adult trade rose by a third, with sales of 20.5 million pounds, while UK children’s comprised 14 million pounds. The US division was up 10 percent, at 6.4 million pounds; while it continued to […]
Lagardere Nudges Up
Lagardere amplified their earlier report on sales the first six months of their fiscal year with slightly fuller data, with the publishing group registering sales of 908 million euros, up just 1.3 percent, with EBIT of 71 million, flat on a recurring basis from a year ago. The company cites “a respectable performance in the US, the UK and Spain, but there was a further decline in Literature in France. Part-works were affected by a drop in French and Italian sales, partly offset by good performances in the United Kingdom and Japan.” On the profits, they note “good contributions from […]
Amazon's Election-Year Promise: No New Kindle in 08
Perhaps they are worried about inhibiting current sales, but Amazon spokesman Craig Berman provided a direct answer to a NYT blogger’s question: “One thing I can tell you for sure is that there will be no new version of the Kindle this year. A new version is possible sometime next year at the earliest.”Item
Rick Warren's Purpose-Driven Magazine?
Portfolio’s blog says that the author of the mammoth seller The Purpose-Driven Life is working with Reader’s Digest to develop a magazine based on the book. “According to sources familiar with the details, RDA will publish the first test-issue of the magazine, whose working title is Purpose, as early as this fall. Joe Treen, a former editor at People and Discover, will edit it.” Portfolio
The Next Olympics-Related Deal?
Olympic all-around gymnastics gold medal winner Nastia Liukin is in conversations with two publishers via manager Evan Morgenstein at Premier Management Group (who also represented Dana Torres) with a deal expected to close soon. He tells the NY Post, “Nastia keeps a first-hand journal and has for years. She writes in it every single day.”NYP
Plus: Personnel, Announcements and More
At St. Martin’s, Rob Grom has been promoted to associate art director, as Jason Ramirez moves up to designer and Jeanette Levy is now associate designer for Griffin. Just Books bookstore is hosting a grand reopening and open house on Saturday, September 6 to celebrate its new ownership under Marion Holmes and remodeled store. Local authors with a book released in the past six months interested in participating can contact the store. Earlier this week the Langum Trust issued a statement criticizing Ballantine’s decision to postpone publication of Sherry Jones’s novel THE JEWEL OF MEDINA, saying the company’s “actions represent […]