Solving the Secrets of Mystery Buyers

Even as brick-and-mortar stores continue to be the largest sales channel for mystery books the percentage of mysteries sold as e-books rose from 1.7% in 2009 to 7% in the second quarter of 2010. Those were some of the findings of a research study on the mystery/crime fiction book-buying market sponsored by Sister In Crime and conducted by Bowker's PubTrack service. According to the study, 39% of mysteries were bought in stores in 2009, while library borrowing accounted for 17% of the way readers obtained books. Online retailers represented 17% of unit purchases. And as e-book sales increases between the first quarter of 2010 to the second, the percentage of hardcovers fell.

S&S on Foursquare

Foursquare users can now check in at locations mentioned in some Simon & Schuster books and get information from those books. The publisher announced Simon & Schuster on Foursquare this week, which enables the social networking site's five million-plus users to get tips from a selection of S&S titles when they check in at a Foursquare location.

Penguin Brings TV, Radio Satellite Tours In-House

Penguin has started a Penguin TV and Radio Satellite Media Tours department. Led by director Kristin Ilardi and associate director Stephany Perez, the department will produce TV and radio satellite tours for Penguin authors.

A Peek at the January 10 'PW'

In the News section of Monday's issue, we have an update from Nielsen BookScan that finds total unit sales fell 4.5% in 2010; a story on Ooligan Press, the publishing affiliate of Portland State University in Oregon that gives graduate students real-world publishing experience; and an update on the Publishers Weekly Stock Index. There is also a listing of the top five holiday e-books from eight houses. In Retailing, there is a profile of Chaucer's Bookstore in Santa Barbara. Features look at bestseller gains and losses of 2010; spring kids' movies, where several have literary roots; and retiring University of California Press director Lynne Withey. There is a profile of Kate Atkinson, author of Started Early, Took My Dog; and Q&As with Taylor Stevens and Frank Brady. The Soapbox shares one reader's strategy for reading both print books and e-books.

FiledBy and Ingram Content Group Collaborate

FiledBy, the online directory of author listings and Web sites, has entered into an agreement with Ingram that will put FiledBy's updated, author-generated book information into such databases such as Ingram's iPage. Ingram will supply the data to more than 100,000 online and brick-and-mortar booksellers and libraries, and will also stream its book and author data to FiledBy for inclusion on the FiledBy site.

Rotterdam, Catto Launch The Bonfire Agency

Former DC sr. marketing v-p Steve Rotterdam and marketing veteran Ed Catto have launched the Bonfire Agency, a full service marketing and promotional firm focused on the pop culture sector.

Editor's Note

This is the last issue of PW Daily this year. Thanks to all of our subscribers for your continued support and of PW. Until we return on January 3, we will post stories to the publishersweekly.com Web site, including the Morning Report, and tweet newsworthy items. If any major news breaks during the holidays, we will of course send out a PW Daily alert.

Much has changed since George Slowik, Jr., acquired PW in April and look for more changes in 2011. And just a reminder to those who have been sending books, packages and other mail to our old 360 Park Ave. address; our address since June is 71 W. 23 St., Suite 1608, New York, NY 10010.

Happy Holidays!

Kiyosaki Moves Distribution to Perseus

Author and publisher Robert Kiyosaki is moving sales and distribution for his Plata Publishing to Perseus Distribution beginning March 1. The agreement includes most of the backlist in Kiyosaki’s popular Rich Dad series, including the bestseller Rich Dad Poor Dad as well as all new books to be published by Plata Publishing for Robert Kiyosaki and Kim Kiyosaki.

A Peek at the December 20 'PW'

Monday's issue is our last of the year. The News section features a report from Bowker's PubTrack showing a spike in e-book sales in weeks ahead and international bestseller lists. In Retailing, we look at the "other 12 days of Christmas," when consumers use gift cards to buy books in large numbers. There's a new piece from Cory Doctorow on "Zen and the Art of Self-Publishing," a feature on books on personal finance, children's "Flying Starts," and a profile of Jonathan Evison, author of West of Here. Finally, a supplement on self-publishing features reviews and features on that area of the business.

100,000 and Counting!

Congratulations to author Matt Debenham (@debenham) for becoming PW's 100,000th Twitter follower! Debenham is the author of a new fiction collection, The Book of Right & Wrong, winner of the Ohio State University Prize in Short Fiction, and a Pushcart nominee; we couldn’t be happier for him to help us reach this milestone.

Sourcebooks, Shelf Unbound, Friday Reads Launch 'Books Change Lives'

Sourcebooks has unveiled a new Web site, and along with a publisher blog, a shopping cart, submission guidelines, and other typical features, the site also has a section that expands the site's breadth far beyond Sourcebooks titles. A campaign called Books Change Lives resides on Sourcebooks.com and allows anyone to write in books that have "changed their life." The campaign is co-sponsored by Sourcebooks, indie publishing online magazine Shelf Unbound, and Bethanne Patrick's Friday Reads.

Distribution: NBN Adds Six Publishers; BookMasters Expands in the U.K.

National Book Network announced yesterday that it started six new publishing partnerships this fall. The publishers are Practicing Law Institute, Spirituality and Health Publisher, Vermont Center for the Book, Writers of the Round Table Press, Self-Counsel Press, and Felony & Mayhem Press. Also, BookMasters Group appointed Jonathan King a consultant to expand its European business.

A Peek at the December 13 'PW'

Monday's issue is our second-to-last of the year, and literary agent Richard Curtis returns with another end-of-the-year poem on the Soapbox page. There's also a piece on what's ahead for Google eBooks, and what the future may hold for Borders. The International section looks at South Korea's Paju Book City, and there is a profile of Deus Ex Machina author Andrew Foster Altschul. In Reviews, there is a starred, boxed review of Salinger: A Life by Kenneth Slawenski; a round-up of reviews on Valentine's Day themes; and Q&As with Elena Mauli Shapiro, author of 13 rue Therese, and Jacques d'Amboise, author of I Was a Dancer: A Memoir. Features catch up with trends in African-American publishing and movie tie-ins.

Midpoint, Leisure Arts, Strike Deal

Midpoint Trade Books has struck a deal with Leisure Arts Inc. that will result in Midpoint moving its warehousing operation from Kansas City to Leisure Arts' Little, Rock facility. The switch is expected to be completed in February.

A Peek at the December 6 'PW'

In next week's issue of the magazine, we have a story on Callaway Editions's transformation from a print house to a multimedia studio. Runners-up to our Publishing Person of the Year include Andy Hunter and Scott Lindenbaum of Electric Literature, outgoing Wiley CEO Will Pesce, Stieg Larsson champion Sonny Mehta, Google's Tom Turvey, literary agent/Odyssey Editions head Andrew Wylie, and the iPad. A feature on Tim Wu's new book, The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires, discusses "net neutrality." There are Q&As with Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia!; Connor Grennan, author of Little Princes; and Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, author of In Harlem Is Nowhere. Finally, there is a profile of Anand Giridharadas, author of India Calling.

Important 'PW' Spring Announcements Update

Publishers should note that the deadline for entering spring adult titles to be published between Feb. 1, 2011, and July 31, 2011, is end of day tomorrow, Dec. 1. Publishers can register at the following site or go to http://edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com/pw and begin entering their titles; they must hit “submit titles for review” to complete their entries.

Webcast Set on the Impact of Digital Developments on Kids Publishing

PW is teaming with Digital Book World to sponsor a Webcast next Tuesday, December 7, entitled "Children’s Publishing in the Digital World." In the free one-hour Webcast, panelists will discuss what recent developments—such as the addition of color to reading devices and the growth in app development--means for children's publishing. Speakers are Susan Katz, president and publisher of Harper Children's Book Group; Rick Richter, founder of Ruckus Media and former head of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division; and Kate Wilson managing director of the U.K.-based Nosy Crow and former MD of Scholastic UK.

A Peek at the November 29 'PW'

In Monday's issue of the magazine, we lead off with a look at the acceleration in ownership of digital reading devices as well as how the market for audiobooks has, and hasn't, changed. A look at some international bestsellers finds Ken Follet a hit everywhere. A post-Thanksgiving feature focuses on diet books, with a Why I Write column by Oprah's fitness guru, Bob Greene; and a feature on today's YA scene looks at new players, innovative directions, and fresh voices in the genre. There is a profile of Anand Giridharadas, author of India Calling; and a Q&A with journalist Seth Mnookin, author of The Panic Virus. On the Soapbox page, Tom Payne writes about adapting his book, Fame: What the Classics Tell Us About the Cult of Celebrity, for the U.S. market. The Retailing section gives an overview of two prominent Russian bookstores.

RHPS Offers Marketing Services

Random House Publisher Services has launched a marketing service for its clients. It offers a range of online options for publishers seeking to increase both physical and digital book sales.