Amazon, S&S Ink Sales Deal
Amazon and Simon & Schuster confirmed last week that the two parties have reached a new sales agreement for S&S digital and print books. S&S CEO Carolyn Reidy called the new agreement “a return to a version of agency pricing.”
Big Q3 Loss at Amazon
Despite year-over-year sales growth of 20%, to $20.58 billion, in the third quarter of 2014, Amazon reported an operating loss of $544 million, a big increase over the $25 million loss in 2013. Total revenue in the media group, which includes all content sales, rose 4% globally (5% in North America).
Beach Hill Press to Fold
Nazarene Publishing House, a 102 year-old Kansas City, Mo.–based Christian publisher, and its trade imprint Beacon Hill Press, will shut down on Dec. 1. The Church of the Nazarene, which owns NPH, blamed the closure on declining revenues caused by “shifting cultural circumstances.” Beacon Hill published around 40 books per year. NPH has about 60 employees.
Atavist Books To Close
Atavist Books, a multiplatform book venture launched by media mogul Barry Diller, film producer Scott Rudin, and former Picador publisher Frances Coady in 2012, will close at the end of the year. The shutdown will not affect the Atavist, the digital journalism platform that partnered with the book venture. The Atavist will continue operating under the direction of its cofounder Evan Ratliff.
