2010: Plenty for Canadian Publishers To Juggle

There are a lot of ways to describe a year that included a global economic meltdown and as much turbulence as the publishing industry saw in 2009, but "a tough act to follow," probably doesn't spring to mind.

U.S.-Bound Authors Tops in Germany, Sweden

Berlin defense attorney Ferdinand von Schirach scored his second bestseller in Germany last month with his second book, a collection of nine short stories involving unpunished criminal acts and the difficulty in discerning good and evil.

Sterling and Quercus Partner

Six-year-old British publishing house Quercus Publishing has entered into a three-year deal with Sterling Publishing to publish fiction in the U.S. and Canada via a new imprint called Silver Oak. The imprint will be owned 50/50 by Quercus and Sterling and will release titles in the U.S. that are already on Quercus's list.

Selling Abroad: Anglo Women Novelists Storm German List

Four novels by women who write in English were on Germany's Buchereport's fiction bestseller list for July.

Fischetti to Lead Penguin's Latin American Expansion Program

After realigning its international sales team to put a major emphasis on Spanish-language territories earlier this summer, Penguin Group is stepping up its focus on the Latin American market. It has just appointed Jacqueline Fischetti, who had been director of Penguin's speakers bureau, to the newly-created position of director of content development, international.

Vampire Novels, Nordic Fiction

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series was an international hit, and now her Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is doing well in Europe. It was at the top of the list in Germany and #2 in Spain last month. (Also in Spain, the third volume in Claudia Gray's Evernight vampire series, Hourglass, was #9. )

Deals: Week of 7/12/10

Pegasus Hopes 'Ice Princess' Will Heat Up in U.S.

All seven thrillers written by Camilla Lackberg have hit the bestsellers list in her native Sweden, and most have landed at the top or near the top spot in other European countries, with The Jinx #1 in France in May and #4 in Spain. New York independent publisher Pegasus Books is betting her popularity will translate in the U.S.

No 'Jinx' for Lackberg: Selling Abroad

Swedish bestselling mystery author Camilla Lackberg has just been published in the U.S. with Pegasus Books releasing The Ice Princess (story, page 10) earlier this month; she hit the May bestsellers list in France in the top spot with The Jinx. In addition to debuting at #1 in France, Jinx landed in the fourth spot in Spain.

Penguin Realigns International Sales Department

Penguin has realigned its international sales team, putting a major emphasis on Spanish-language territories. A new international sales team now reports to Barbara O'Shea, president of non-trade sales, and includes special markets. The company has hired Carlos Azula as v-p, international sales, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Mexico, reflecting its increased focus in those areas.

Review of the Day: Saramago's The Notebook

With The Notebook, Nobel Prize winner, Saramago, who died on Friday, offers the reader a rare glimpse into his personal life with the publication of a year’s worth of blog entries. Encouraged by his family, Saramago agreed to blog about any and everything he had to say.

Penguin Leadership Vacuum Worries Canadian Book Industry

In the wake of David Davidar's sudden departure from Penguin Group (Canada) and some mixed messages about plans for future leadership of the company, people in the Canadian book industry are watching closely to see if Penguin will follow through with hiring a new president for its Canadian subsidiary.

Pearson Leads the Pack

In 2009, even the world's largest book publishers were more concerned with coping with the recession than expansion; as such, there was little movement at the top in the annual Livres Hebdo/Publishers Weekly ranking of the world's biggest publishers. Pearson remained #1, with revenues from its educational operations and Penguin generating a total of $7.75 billion in 2009.

Global Rankings Data for the Top 20 Companies

The Top Seven Japanese Publishing Companies from PW's Global Ranking 2009

You've probably heard of Kodansha, but that company isn't the only publisher in Japan. Here are short profiles of the seven Japanese companies on our top fifty list. We thought Japan might be a fun place to start, but we'll be running profiles of the other countries on the list in the weeks to come.

McClelland & Stewart Restructures

McClelland & Stewart, which has been publishing books in Canada for more than 100 years, announced a restructuring that includes some promotions as well as three layoffs.

Crime and Squirrels Lead Foreign Lists

'Tis the season for thrillers and crime fiction, and in France, the Netherlands, and Sweden, where titles in those categories dominated bestseller lists in April. But the top book in France right now falls into neither category; it's a feel-good novel about what matters in life.

Angry Robot Books to Join Osprey Publishing

After spending its first year as an imprint of HarperCollins UK, science fiction and fantasy line Angry Robot Books has become an independent publisher, with backing from niche publisher Osprey Publishing. Angry Robot will continue to operate from its Nottingham office with its existing team under Marc Gascoigne, its founder and publisher. It will also expand into the U.S. this fall.

'Parallel Imports' Stirs Controversy In Canada

The debate over whether Amazon should be allowed to establish a distribution center in Canada (Amazon has gained approval) has given rise to a new controversy between Canadian publishers and booksellers over "parallel imports." Earlier this month, CBA representatives met with Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore to ask him to consider repealing regulations established in 1999 that require Canadian booksellers to buy books from the Canadian branches of multinational publishers such as Random House of Canada or Penguin Group (Canada) or from a Canadian-owned distributor. They are not permitted to buy from a U.S. company unless the book is not available from a Canadian company or if the Canadian company’s price exceeds the guidelines set for a Canadian price differential, which is the exchange rate plus 10%.

Firefly Books Inks Partnership with Hockey Hall of Fame

While hockey fans are engrossed in the NHL playoffs, Firefly Books announced this week that it made a deal with the Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum in Toronto to produce six books over the next three years.First books will be out this fall.