'Potter' Boosts Amazon



Sales at Amazon. com's North America media segment rose 21% in the third quarter, to $684 million. Amazon sold about 1.6 million copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince worldwide, generating sales of about $27 million. Sales for the entire company rose 27%, to $1.86 billion, although net income fell due to a settlement in a patent lawsuit. The company attributed the sales gain to greater use of its Amazon Prime shipping option and deeper discounts on most products, including books.

Chamberlain Bros. Reorganized

Penguin has moved its 18-month-old Chamberlain Brothers imprint under the direction of Megan Newman, publisher of Avery Books and Viking Studio. Founding publisher Carlo DeVito and three Chamberlain editors left the company in recent weeks. Chamberlain Brothers will continue as an autonomous imprint, although with a more focused list. Some Chamberlain titles may be moved to other imprints, but no books will be canceled, Newman said.

Wallace Leaves Wenner

Robert Wallace resigned last week as editor-in-chief of Wenner Books. No replacement had been named at press time, though the company said it plans to move ahead with its book program, which includes publishing five titles next year.

S&S Unites Distribution

Simon & Schuster has consolidated its distribution division under the newly formed S&S distribution client unit. Joe Bulger, v-p, business operations, supply chain, will head the new group as v-p, client management and business development. In addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations of the distribution business, Bulger will be in charge of adding new clients.

New Lit Agency Born

Following the breakup of the Collins McCormick literary agency, David McCormick has teamed up with another former CMer, Amy Williams, to form McCormick & Williams. Also joining M&W are Leslie Falk as managing partner and P.J. Mark as senior agent.

Results Up at Harlequin

Third-quarter sales at Harlequin rose 1.8%, to C$138.3 million ($117 million), and operating profit was ahead 7.2%, to C$25 million ($21 million). Sales in North America were up due to higher retail sales of single titles, while sales of series were off. Profits in the segment were flat, as the higher revenue was partially offset by higher promotional spending and other costs. Sales and earnings in Harlequin's North America direct business were flat in the quarter.

Harveys, MoCCA Split

The Harvey Awards, named after comics artist and editor Harvey Kurtzman, will no longer be hosted by the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in New York. MoCCA's ceremonies for the past three years have had poor attendance, by award winners and the public. Nellie Kurtzman, Kurtzman's daughter and marketing director at DC Comics, said the Kurtzman family is considering "a few offers" for a new venue.

ALA to New Orleans

After weeks of deliberation, the American Library Association has decided to move forward with plans to hold its annual conference in New Orleans next year. A visit to the city by an ALA delegation and assurances from state and federal officials were enough to persuade the association to go ahead with the conference, set for June 22—29 in the Crescent City.

BAM Stays

Following the filing of Books-A-Million's third-quarter report with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week, Nasdaq has lifted its threat to delist the chain. The filing put BAM in compliance with all Nasdaq requirements.

Correction

Basic Books'WithoutRoots will not be Pope Benedict's first book to appear in English, as reported last week in Deals. Ignatius Press published Pilgram Fellowship of Faith in May and has three titles set for this fall.