The Washington Post offers its extensive preview: “Consider the years of work and accumulated wisdom that have gone into producing the 116 that follow. Here is a treasure trove of knowledge, from a chronicle of the White House war room to the artistry of Marc Chagall. Here, too, is a world of the imagination, from the slave trade as conjured by Toni Morrison to the nervous ’50s with Philip Roth. This is but a mere fragment, a scattered sampling of what’s in store for our readers as we head into the busiest season of the year.”Post The SF Chronicle also […]
Plus: Sundance Sale; Bertelsmann; UK Age-Banding; and More
* In a one-line announcement, Haights Cross Communications it has completed the sale of substantially all of the assets of its educational Sundance/Newbridge Publishing business to Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group on undisclosed terms. * The Financial Times looks at the current remaking of Bertelsmann: “Hartmut Ostrowski’s desire to set out a new growth strategy for Bertelsmann is turning into a battle between the expansionist ambitions of its new management team and the constraining financial legacy inherited from his predecessors.” We know what they’re selling, but it’s not exactly clear what they want to be buying and why. “His hopes […]
Bloomsbury Reports
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