Books world alarmed by Pearson's sale of stake in Penguin Random House

Management have moved to reassure staff and writers that selling the 47% holding will not affect business, but authors and agents express uneaseAuthors and staff have reacted cautiously to news that Pearson is to sell its stake in Penguin Random House (PRH), the world’s biggest publisher and home to some of the most successful brands in books, among them Fifty Shades of Grey, Jamie Oliver and The Girl on the Train.PRH moved quickly to address fears among staff that the sale of the 47% share to German-owned Bertelsmann would affect jobs. In a statement, global chief executive Markus Dohle promised it would be “business as usual for us”. He added: “Both Pearson and Bertelsmann continue to be very supportive of our strategy and our success, and both have been valued shareholders for us.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers "lax" on physical quality of books - Daunt

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 15/08/2011 - 15:49 Waterstone’s m.d. James Daunt has accused publishers of being “lax” in not paying enough attention to the physical quality of books while warning bricks and mortar bookshops will not survive unless they are good enough. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Brookes brokers romantic two-book deal

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 12/08/2011 - 10:54 Pan Macmillan has acquired two novels by Diane Allen, general manager of Magna Large Print books. Publishing director Wayne Brookes acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to For the Sake of Her Children and one other novel... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #general manager


Apple's Device Dominance Drives E-book Price-fixing Lawsuit

A class-action lawsuit accuses Apple of working with publishers to raise the cost of ebooks. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins ebook sales 11% of revenue

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 11/08/2011 - 09:10 HarperCollins ebook sales now comprise 11% of its total revenue, the company has said following parent NewsCorp's latest results. As has now become customary, figures for HarperCollins were not stripped out. There was no... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #latest results #parent newscorp #total revenue


Indigo sales: digital hike, print decline.

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 11/08/2011 - 09:20 Canadian retailer Indigo Books & Music has reported 170% acceleration in digital sales growth, but blamed a drop in overall revenue for its first quarter on declining physical book sales. Indigo attributed the hike in its... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #2nd july #digital business #print decline


British Library launches E-Book Treasures for iPad

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 11/08/2011 - 09:08 The British Library has launched its E-book Treasures series for the iPad, with ancient manuscripts now available for download on the Apple iBookstore. The first manuscripts to be available are Leonardo da Vinci's Codex... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WaPo Reorgs Book Reviews...Again

Marcus Brauchli, executive editor of the Washington Post, sent a memo to his staff announcing, among other changes, that the book reviewers will now be report to the editors of the their respective sections. Brauchli told PW that these moves will not affect the paper's coverage of books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book reviewers


Poet Laureate selects third Xmas poetry book

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 11/08/2011 - 09:00 Poet Laureate Carol-Ann Duffy is selecting the third volume of The Twelves Poems of Christmas, which is out this autumn. Duffy will also write the introduction to the titles, which is priced £4.95 and published in October... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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July retail growth "modest", amid poor book market

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 09/08/2011 - 09:43 July retail sales saw a modest improvement, according to figures from the British Retail consortium, though book sales fell to their lowest level for seven years with food continuing to outperform non-food items. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book chains in talks with police to protect stores

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 09/08/2011 - 14:10 Waterstone's and WH Smith closed stores across riot-stricken areas in London as the violence appears set to continue into a fourth night. A Waterstone's spokesperson said it was closing stores early depending on police advice... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson buys Stark Holdings

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 09/08/2011 - 09:14 Pearson has bought German educational materials company Stark Holdings. The company provides text preparation resources for pupils and teachers. It had sales of €20m for its most recent financial year and has gross assets... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #regulatory approval #german business


Gallic to open Belgravia Books next month

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 09/08/2011 - 13:45 An independent bookshop to be run by an indie publisher will host an interactive website and offer home delivery when it opens in London next month. Belgravia Books, launched by publisher Gallic Books, will first welcome... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Cache: After Much Ado, a Google Book Deal in France

Could the Internet giant's deal with Hachette Livre clear a path for a deal to settle longstanding litigation in the United States? Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Baltimore libraries will soon check out Nooks in addition to books

Pilot program to lend out electronic readers, pre-loaded with best-sellersThe City That Reads will soon be a leader in bringing new technology to library patrons — electronically. Two branches of the Enoch Pratt Free Library will begin lending 28 Nook e-readers preloaded with almost two dozen... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2011-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #electronic readers #pilot program


BlogHer Looks At A 'Post-Oprah, Post-Martha' World

BlogHer co-founder and CEO Lisa Stone sounded triumphant today in San Diego, where her women-focused blog and advertising network was hosting its seventh annual BlogHer conference. More than 3,500 bloggers were in attendance, and the company announced some new partnerships like the "Live Well... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter's Pottermore E-Book Site is Now Open--for Scammers

Scam artists are selling fake early access to the Pottermore Web site or asking for personal data to register an "account." Either way, you're going to be sorry if you interact with them. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #personal data #harry potter


Decemberists' singer writes kids book for Canongate

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 05/08/2011 - 11:01 Canongate has bought a children’s book written by the lead singer of American indie rock band The Decemberists. Senior editor Francis Bickmore bought UK and Commonwealth rights (excl Canada, Australia and New Zealand) to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ross mulls “TV Kids Book Club”

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 05/08/2011 - 14:23 Publishers have welcomed the news that Amanda Ross, Cactus TV md, may launch a television programme dedicated to children’s books. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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July books spending hits seven year low

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Thu, 04/08/2011 - 15:50 Spending on physical books in July slumped to its lowest level in seven years as ebooks continue to encroach onto traditional bookseller territory. According to Nielsen BookScan data, £111.5m was spent on printed books in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital and high r.r.p.s hitting hardback sales

Written By: Charlotte Williams and Philip Stone Publication Date: Fri, 05/08/2011 - 09:00 Publishers and independent booksellers are stressing the importance of "working harder" on hardback fiction titles, as sales of the format fell by £3.2m over the first half of 2011. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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