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Razorbill Hopes to Re-create South African Magic
When Penguin Group USA president Susan Petersen Kennedy spent three days in South Africa last fall visiting schools, bookstores and other cultural institutions, she found herself hearing about Spud: A Wickedly Funny Novel by John van de Ruit (a comic actor of local renown) wherever she went.
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Amazon Launches Galley Program and Self-Publishing Division
Amazon.com is offering customers two new services: access to galleys and the opportunity to publish their own works.
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Lerner Lures Kjoller Away from FSG
Children’s book publisher Lerner Publishing Group has hired Maria Kjoller as director of rights, special sales, and international distribution, as of September 6.
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HC's 2007 Sales Reach $1.34B
HarperCollins' revenues increased slightly in fiscal 2007, although full-year operating income declined by $8 million. CEO Jane Friedman pointed to a fourth-quarter rebound in profits.
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Southern Union
One of America's most respected literary magazines—Virginia Quarterly Review out of the University of Virginia—is teaming up with the University of Georgia Press, longtime publisher of the now-retired Contemporary Poetry Series to bring out a new series of poetry books, tentatively called the VQR Poetry Series, which will debut its first four titles next January.
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Sharkey Looks to Leverage TV Past At HarperCollins
After 27 years in network television, Lisa Sharkey, HarperCollins's new editorial executive, said she's very much at home in the publishing game. A self-described book person, Sharkey—a former producer at Good Morning America and, later, head of Al Roker's production company—was recently brought on to head a new unit called the Creative Development Team.
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New Corey Line Ready to Debut
This fall, Random House will launch a brand-new imprint, and the woman at its helm is no stranger to the world of novelty books. Robin Corey landed at Random House in February 2006; she had most recently been executive v-p and publisher of novelty books, media tie-ins and teen publishing at Simon & Schuster.
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Harlequin Profits Jump on Modest Sales Rise
Harlequin posted modest gains in the second quarter ended June 30, with total revenue up 1.2%, to C$116 million ($110.2 million). Operating income, however, jumped 22%, to C$12.5 million ($11.9 million).
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Little, Brown Wins Richards Autobio
Little, Brown has acquired world English rights to the forthcoming autobiography from famed rocker Keith Richards. The untitled book is scheduled for publication in 2010.
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Penguin's Profits, Sales Hurt By Weak Dollar
Revenue fell 5% at Penguin in the first half, though excluding currency fluctuations, sales were up 1%. The company is expecting a good second half, although slow unit sales and a volatile U.S. economy are reasons for caution.
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Indie Surprises for Fall
That the New York Times Book Review would devote the front cover of its June 24 issue to Per Petterson’s Out Stealing Horses (Graywolf) was a clear validation of the importance of independent presses. Despite the dominance of a handful of large houses, smaller presses play an important role in nurturing talented writers like graphic novelist Adrian Tomine, author of Shortcomings (Drawn &a...
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Ross Promises to Revive Collins Business
Steve Ross hadn't been in his new office at HarperCollins for a week when he found himself plunking down a hefty sum for his first acquisition: the next book from flashy self-promoting entrepreneur Donald Trump. Ross, who recently took the reins of the house's Collins division, closed a “big seven-figure deal” for Trump's next book, Think Big and Kick Ass—in Business and Life,...
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University Presses Need to Change To Survive
A study released last Thursday evaluates the impact of the digital revolution on university presses and concludes that “the university-based publishing enterprise of the future must look very different from that of the past.” The study, “University Publishing in a Digital Age,” is a collaboration between Laura Brown, former president of Oxford University Press USA, and I...
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AMS Claims B&T Owes $6.2 Million
AMS contends Baker & Taylor paid only $4.1 million of an expected $10.3 million final installment on the purchase of some AMS assets and wants the bankruptcy court judge to rule on the disputed payment during an August 15 hearing.
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Balliett Leaves Perseus for Hyperion
Balliett will acquire and edit books for Hyperion and manage the editorial process, beginning August 8.
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Cagney & Lacey Producer Rethinks Publishing On Demand
Emmy Award-winning producer Barney Rosenzweig recently published his memoir, Cagney & Lacey and Me, through the Print On Demand publisher iUniverse. He explains the process and why he will go the traditional publishing route next time.
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That 8.3 Million Copies Sold
Was Just the BeginningHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has set records for Scholastic, Random House, Borders, Barnes & Noble and Amazon as the fastest-selling book (or CD) in history. Independent bookstores also reported record sales, with scattered reports of shortages.
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Chang to LBYR
Melanie Chang has been named executive director of publicity and communications at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, succeeding Elizabeth Eulberg.
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Little, Brown Has Big Plans for Meyer
One of the few things that can provoke a hint of annoyance from author Stephenie Meyer is calling her the next J.K. Rowling. While the press might be eager to crown the Phoenix homemaker—cum—international bestseller the next YA fantasy wunderkind, Meyer would demur that she will never be as big as the creator of Harry Potter.
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Scholastic Gives Continuities Last Chance
While Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will provide a boost to Scholastic's sales and earnings in fiscal 2008, another important ingredient in improving the company's earnings is turning around the performance in its continuities business, which posted another large loss in the fiscal year ended May 31.
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