Publishing chief discusses how the rise of the ebook has affected the industry, the value of a good cover design and why there is no glass ceiling in the sectorTell us a bit about your role at Penguin and how you got there.I am the managing director of Penguin General Books, which is one of seven adult divisions within the newly formed Penguin Random House publishing conglomerate. Our authors include novelists Zadie Smith, Colm Toibin, Nick Hornby, John le Carre, Zoe Heller, Jonathan Coe, Jonathan Safran Foer, Mohsin Hamid, Penelope Lively, India Knight, Ali Smith, Dave Eggers, Marina Lewycka and non-fiction writers such as Antony Beevor, Clare Balding, Claire Tomalin and Alain de Botton.I've been running Penguin General for four years and before that I was marketing and publicity director across all of Penguin Publishing. I've been at Penguin for just over 15 years in total and before that I had a very brief spell as editor of the Sunday Telegraph magazine, was marketing and publicity director at the then small independent publisher Fourth Estate (now part of Harper Collins) and began my career as a book publicist at Heinemann.The rise of the ebook has brought about enormous changes to the publishing industry in recent years. How has Penguin responded to this?Penguin published the first ebooks in the UK very early in the 21st century and well before most readers knew they wanted to consume books this way. Penguin's ebook sales now account for about 12% of total... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with:
#increasing demands
#practice direct
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 27/09/2011 - 09:15 Penguin has released Jamie Oliver's Food Guide app for Apple's iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, with the guide now available for £2.99 from the App store. The app accompanies Oliver's latest title, Jamie's Great Britain,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#app store
#ipod touch
#latest title
#great britain
#super thursday
#29th september
#sunday times
The Professional Publishers Association (PPA), the body for UK magazine publishers, has appointed former IPC leader James Papworth as its first marketing director in three years. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2011-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#marketing director
Hearst Magazines UK has appointed Anna Jones as acting COO and Matt Salmon as group commercial director, after concluding the business review triggered by the merger of NatMag and Hachette Filipacchi. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#matt salmon
#hachette filipacchi
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 20/09/2011 - 14:40 Neil Young has become the latest rock legend to sell his autobiography, with Viking buying UK rights to the former Buffalo Springfield guitarist's life story. Publishing director Tony Lacey acquired the title, currently... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#life story
#audio rights
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 20/09/2011 - 08:35 Transworld has appointed Michelle Signore, currently editor-in-chief at John Blake, to the role of editorial director. Signore will join Transworld on 17th October, and will report to publishing director Doug Young.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#john blake
#17th october
Jacquie Duckworth, former associate publisher of Conde Nast's Easy Living, has joined River Publishing as commercial director. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2011-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#commercial director
#associate publisher
#conde nast
Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 15/09/2011 - 11:35 Penguin is "significantly" increasing its investment in its children's division, with a focus on pre-school, big brands and the global market, as well as on digital innovation, according to UK c.e.o. Tom Weldon. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#big brands
#global market
#digital innovation
#tom weldon
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 12/09/2011 - 08:40 Penguin Ireland has acquired a first novel about the "mysteries and alchemies of friendship", likening it to The Reluctant Fundamentalist and the writing of W G Sebald. Senior editor Brendan Barrington bought world rights... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#reluctant fundamentalist
#lucy luck
Like most industries, publishing cycles are increasingly becoming more and more automated. Even editorial actions are becoming computerized, with companies like Kapost creating products that electronically orchestrate pitches, assignments, calendars and revisions in addition to managing author... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 02/09/2011 - 10:43 Penguin has acquired a prize-winning novel by Austin Ratner, called The Jump Artist, which recreates the true story of photographer Philip Halsman who took photographs of icons such as Marilyn Monroe, but was also wrongly... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#true story
#marilyn monroe
#south america
#anne edelstein
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 31/08/2011 - 10:05 E-book sales now account for over 10% of Random House Group UK sales, as worldwide earnings for parent company Random House surged despite a dip in sales. In the first six months of 2011, Random House worldwide reported... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Wed, 31/08/2011 - 08:05 Penguin is aiming to bring traditional family storytelling into the digital arena with a new picture book reader app, Me Books, which enables parents and carers to personalise stories by selecting parts they want to record... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ipod touch
Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 30/08/2011 - 09:00 Quercus has appointed a new finance director and reshuffled its board of directors. Paul Lenton, a chartered accountant who last worked on establishing a new London operation for US advertising agency Creature London, will... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#group sales
#finance director
#chartered accountant
#london operation
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 26/08/2011 - 08:48 Penguin is reissuing its collections of short stories for adults by renowned children's author Roald Dahl. The rejacketed paperback versions, priced £8.99, will be reissued in four batches, beginning with Someone Like... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#short stories
#1st september
#27th october
Drew Kirkland, group publishing director for weekly women's and TV titles at Hearst Magazines UK, has been appointed publishing director for TV brands at IPC Media. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2011-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ipc media
#weekly women
#tv titles
#tv brands
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 19/08/2011 - 12:03 World Book Day has appointed Kirsten Grant as director, with Cathy Schofield stepping down from her position as co-ordinator which she has held since October 2000. Grant, who was previously Puffin marketing and campaigns... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#campaigns director
#strategic planning
#building relationships
Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 19/08/2011 - 08:45 Around 10,000 people have signed up to Scholastic's Horrible Histories virtual world since its official launch last week and the beta testing period over the summer. Publisher Scholastic intends to develop further "Horribles"... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#official launch
When you deal with a lot of people, along with the brilliant stuff comes very dumb stuff as well. Inexperienced voices should be forgiven but when the big and powerful make appalling statements you have to ask yourself how they ever got their jobs.Here are some of the ones that have left me most... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Creative consultant JC Suares shares some of the biggest headscratchers he's heard from editors, publishers and designers. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ve heard
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 01/08/2011 - 08:59 Digital sales have helped to bolster profitability for Penguin in the first six months of 2011, with company chiefs looking for organic growth and a focus on the high street over the second half of the year. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#organic growth
#high street