Alliance Entertainment is suing Diamond Comic Distributors over the results of their recent bankruptcy auction. Diamond declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, and Alliance was the high bidder on its assets with a bid of $72,245,000 (and widely reported as the winner in March). Universal Distribution and Ad Populum entered a joint bid of $69,130,000, “with Universal getting Alliance and Diamond UK, and Ad Populum getting Diamond Comics, Diamond Select Toys and everything else,” and were named the back-up bid. A hearing was set for Monday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Maryland to ensure the legality […]
Abrams Books Employees Unionize
UAW Local 2110 petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a vote to unionize Abrams Books employees, the first step in officially forming a union. The workers, including staff in publicity, marketing, production, design, managing editorial, sales, distribution, IT, finance, and the mail room, are looking for higher wages, increased job security, and more transparency from management. Local 2110 also represents the Harper Collins union. The union posted a mission statement on social media, which reads in part, “In forming a union, we stake our claim in shaping the future of Abrams: a more equitable, ethical, and transparent working environment. […]
Inside Inkitt
In a lengthy feature for Bloomberg, Vauhini Vara describes the publishing process at self-publishing startup Inkitt. The piece details the company’s use of AI to create stories and video content based on a writer’s ideas, a pivot that the company noted during their Series C funding round in early 2024. As previously reported, the company counts Macmillan chair Stefan von Holtzbrinck as an investor, as well as former Sony and Penguin Group ceo Michael Lynton. Former Harper Collins ceo Jane Friedman is an advisor (though they all joined before the company implemented their AI strategy). Authors can upload their stories on […]
New Books Publishing April 8
This week’s fiction releases include books by Jennifer Weiner, Nita Prose, Lynn Steger Strong, and Katie Kitamura, while new nonfiction includes work from Andrea Long Chu, David Denby, and Viet Thanh Nguyen. Also publishing this week are novels by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, excerpted in our Buzz Books 2025: Spring/Summer sampler, and Jasmine Guillory, London Sperry, and Juliette Cross, excerpted in our Buzz Books 2025: Romance collection. 24 works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-april-8 12 works of nonfiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-april-8 From Buzz Books https://buzz.publishersmarketplace.com/ We consult a number of sources in compiling our weekly lists and […]
Distribution: Five Publishers To IPG
IPG will distribute Sutherland House Books in the US starting October 1; Sally Milner Publishing in the US and Canada starting July 1; Sam and Mi and Hashtag Press in the US and Canada starting August 1; and Cuentos con Valores in the US and Canada starting September 1.