TODAY'S NEWS

Scholastic Buyout Attracts More Than 100
by Jim Milliot
Approximately 110 employees have agreed to take the voluntary retirement package being offered by Scholastic as part of the company’s effort to shrink its workforce. The package was offered to employees over 50 with at least 10 years experience with the company. A Scholastic spokesperson said the number of employees accepting the package was “a little more” than expected. The company has also laid off a small number of people in different business units, but the spokesperson said Scholastic doesn’t expect to make any “broad scale” reductions in headcount given the success of the buyout and other cost-cutting steps.

At the close of its fiscal year on May 31, Scholastic had 6,500 full-time employees in the U.S. and 2,400 overseas. Scholastic is looking to cut costs by as much as $35 million in the current fiscal year. Read on »

Two More Debuts for Dorman
by Matthew Thornton
Pamela Dorman has picked up the U.S. rights to an Italian bestseller that was one of the most talked-about books at Frankfurt, Paolo Giordano's debut The Solitude of Prime Numbers, for her imprint at Viking. Winner of the Premio Strega award and since sold in 21 languages around the world, the novel traces the friendship of two kindred spirits and the ways in which they both do—and do not—succeed in reaching out to another human being. Giordano, 26, is studying for a doctorate in particle physics. Helen Edwards at Transworld made the sale, and Dorman plans to publish in early 2010 (the book is presently being translated). Read on »

Creative Lost $6.5 Million in Fiscal 2008
By Jim Milliot
Courier Corp.’s conference call yesterday discussing year-end results added a few details to the poor fiscal 2008 turned in by its Creative Homeowners subsidiary. The publisher lost $6.5 million last year on revenue of about $20 million. (Dover and REA, with sales of $34 million and $7.6 million, respectively, had total operating profits of $4.9 million). The poor performance was attributed in large part to the severe slump in the housing market. In addition to soft sales, Creative has lost money because a longstanding deal to service about one-third of the book sections located at the retail giant Lowes has turned unprofitable.

Creative has been supplying books from about 30 publishers to Lowes, but with sales through home centers plunging, the arrangement is now draining resources. Courier expects to move its Lowes business to a new distributor in December, a move that will result in the elimination of 11 positions.

Economic Downturn Shutters Dallas-area Indie
by Edward Nawotka
David Norwood, owner of The Bookworm in Frisco, Tex. is closing his two-year old, 4,000 sq.-ft. bookstore immediately. “We were approaching the break even point, then the economy turned,” Norwood said. “The holiday season isn’t starting soon enough and we’re in too big of a hole.” Seven part-time employees will lose their jobs; Norwood plans to return to his former career in software development. “The return to the corporate world will be a welcome relief,” he said. “Running a bookstore is like having a double full-time job.” Read on »

Chinese Tattoos, Brit Graffiti from Last Gasp
By Calvin Reid
At a time when the work of graffiti and street artists can sell for huge amounts, publishers as diverse as Harry N. Abrams and powerHouse Books are offering titles that document the rise of an international graphic culture driven by the worldwide popularity of hip hop, rock n’ roll and even tattoos. It’s a market targeted by indie pop culture publisher and distributor Last Gasp, which is releasing a new book on Banksy, the legendary and anonymous British graffiti artist, as well as a title they claim is the first to document the rise of tattoo culture in contemporary China. Read on »

Blogs

MORE STORIES

Free Spirit in a Jar
By Claire Kirch
Free Spirit Publishing, the Minneapolis publisher of self-help books for children and teens, is extending its reach into the sidelines market with its recent acquisition of another Twin Cities company, Attitude Matters, the creators of the In a Jar learning tools product line.

Free Spirit’s new In a Jar line will include approximately 75 sets of thematic cards that ask open-ended questions in one of three categories, designed to stimulate thought and discussion. The three categories include character and life skills (Choices in a Jar), school subjects (Grammar in a Jar), and fun and games (Riddles in a Jar). Read on »

AUTHORS ON THE AIR

Authors on the Air: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa; Artie Lange; Operation Hotel California
Today the animated film Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa opens, starring the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith and Sacha Baron Cohen. Tie-ins include: The Art and Making of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa by Jerry Beck; Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa: Lost in Africa by Judy Katschke; Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa: The Junior Novel by J. E. Bright and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa: Air Penguin. Read on »

PICTURE OF THE DAY

The Other WNBA
Various members of the San Francisco chapter of the Women's National Book Association recently came out to Book Passage in Corte Madera, Calif., for an event celebrating a visit from author Philippa Gregory. Pictured here (l. to r.) are: Mary Knippel, past president of the SF chapter; Vicki Weiland, hospitality chair; C.W. Gortner, author of The Last Queen and past secretary; Joan Gelfand, WNBA national chair; and a volunteer. Submit your pictures here »

JOB OF THE DAY

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