TODAY'S NEWS

Profits Tumble at HarperCollins
by Jim Milliot
Unrelenting costs pressures combined with a 4.5% decline in sales to drive down first quarter operating profit at HarperCollins to $3 million from $36 million in the last year’s fiscal first period. Revenue fell from $330 million to $315 million. Profits were also hurt by higher returns and a decline in distribution income (HC fulfilled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last July).

“Every line in the P&L seems to be against us,” said CEO Brian Murray, noting that there are no signs that expenses for paper, fuel and marketing will be coming down any time soon despite the drop in gas prices. To improve the bottomline, Murray said HC is “looking at every cost item” and carefully monitoring print runs. “We want to print the right amount. HC is also looking at raising prices where it can. Read on »

Courier Has Down Fiscal 2008; More Changes at Creative Homeowner
by Jim Milliot
Courier Corp. finished the year ended September 27 with declines in both its manufacturing and publishing segments. Revenue in the publishing division--home to Dover Publications, REA and Creative Homeowner--fell 15%, to $61.8 million, while manufacturing sales dipped 0.7%, to $229.8 million. Overall, Courier reported a 4.8% decline in revenue, to $280.3 million, and had a net loss of $370,000 compared to earnings of $25.7 million in fiscal 2007. The loss includes $23.6 million in charges associated with write-downs and other one-time costs at Creative Homeowner. Excluding the charges, Courier had net income of $15 million. Read on »

Gay Writers Respond to Proposition 8’s Win in California
By Wendy Werris
California’s Proposition 8, the controversial anti-gay-marriage measure that was fought furiously on both sides for several months and included Tricycle Press’s children’s book King & King as a negative spin in supporters’ TV commercials, won a stunning victory on November 4 in the state’s election. Gay writers responded to the win with outrage, concern and heartbreak.

John Rechy, the Los Angeles-based PEN International Award-winning gay author, expressed a sense of outrage and betrayal by the passing of Prop. 8. Noting what he called fear tactics used by its backers in their ads, Rechy said, “Of course it helped Prop. 8 to use a harmless children’s book (King & King) about gay marriage in its campaign of minority intolerance. My fear now is that all of gay literature will be more closely scrutinized, and that free speech will become even more endangered.” Rechy and his partner of more than 30 years were recently married. Read on »

Chicago Booksellers Get Caught in Obama Whirlwind
by Claire Kirch
From the South Side of Chicago north to Andersonville, it’s been quite a ride for independent bookstores in a city that 57th Street Books/Seminary Coop’s general manager Jack Cella dubbed today the “Midwestern White House.” 57th Streets’s most famous customer, who’s been a member of the three-store consumer cooperative since 1986, was elected president of the United States last night. Read on »

Morrow to Publish Neil Gaiman’s Nonfiction Book on China
By Lynn Andriani
Morrow will publish three nonfiction books by bestselling novelist Neil Gaiman. The first is titled Monkey and Me: China and the Journey to the West, and is inspired by Journey to the West, a classical Chinese text by Wu Cheng’en, who lived in the 16th century. It is scheduled for publication in fall 2009. Gaiman’s longtime editor, senior v-p and director of editorial development Jennifer Brehl acquired global world English and Chinese language rights from Merrilee Heifetz of Writers House. The books will be published simultaneously by HarperCollins in the U.K., and in Chinese by HarperCollins China. The as-yet-untitled second and third books will focus on subjects Gaiman has covered on his blog. Monkey and Me will be Gaiman’s first nonfiction book since Don’t Panic: The Official Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Companion, which was published in 1988.

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MORE STORIES

Michael Crichton Dies at 66
Michael Crichton, who wrote a string of bestsellers for Random House and HarperCollins, died yesterday at the age of 66. A brief statement, released by his family, said the author passed away after a battle with cancer. His most recent book, Next, was published by HC in 2006 and a mass market paperback edition was released last month. Among his other bestselling titles are State of Fear and Jurassic Park.

In addition to his best known works, which often saw the misuse of cutting edge science create doomsday scenarios, Crichton, between 1966 and 1972, wrote eight mysteries under the pseudonym John Lange. Hard Case Crime reprinted 1970’s Grave Descend in 2006, but was not allowed to mention Crichton’s name on the cover or in connection with its promotion. Read on »

Job Moves
Amanda Tobier has been named marketing manager at Little, Brown. Tobier was most recently marketing director for Avery and Viking Studio. She's also worked in the marketing departments at Hyperion and Harper Perennial and was a frontlist buyer at Third Place Books in Seattle.

At Amulet Books Susan Van Metre has been promoted to associate publisher. Metre, who will continue to oversee the editorial vision of Amulet as editorial director, will now be more involved in the marketing of the list.

A number of promos and hires in the Crown marketing and publicity departments: Samantha Choy has been named senior publicist. Choy was a publicist at W.W. Norton. Kira Walton has been promoted from marketing manager to associate marketing director at Harmony and Shaye Areheart Books. Read on »

AUTHORS ON THE AIR

Authors on the Air: Sir Roger Moore; Warrick Dunn; Patti LaBelle
Today, Sir Roger Moore shakes up Today, The View, Talk of the Nation and The Leonard Lopate Show with My Word is My Bond: A Memoir (Collins, 9780061673887, $27.95). After the jump: Maureen McCormic, chef Jeff Henderson and Patti LaBelle. Read on »

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Mystery Men
Over 50 authors came out to the annual "Men of Mystery" event, which was held November 1st at the Marriott Hotel in Irvine, Calif. The authors were joined by more than 500 fans and presentations were made by Sheldon Siegel, James Grippando and others. Pictured here (l. to r.) are: Tim Maleeny (Beating the Babushka), Andrew Gross (The Blue Zone) and Robert S. Levinson (In the Key of Death).
Photo credit: Sandra Levinson Submit your pictures here »

JOB OF THE DAY

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