A survey of indie presses shows that 60% fear they could be out of business by the autumn, writes Galley Beggar Press cofounder Sam JordisonOver the past few years, the success of independent publishers such as Fitzcarraldo, And Other Stories, Bluemooose and Influx Press has been something to behold. They have won prizes, engaged readers and published innovative and important books. Now that wonderful literary flowering is in danger. A survey on the impact of Covid-19 on small presses, carried out by the Bookseller and writer development charity Spread the Word, reveals that 60% of the small presses polled fear they could be out of business by the autumn, 75% don’t know if they will make it beyond March next year, while 85% of the publishers have seen sales drop by more than half.Small presses have been hit especially hard because they are more dependent on physical sales in bookstores, rather than online retailers or ebook sales. I know, because my publisher, Galley Beggar Press, has also seen a big chunk of its income disappear. One of the great strengths of our kind of publishing is that we have a real connection with dedicated readers who love books as physical objects, readers who have an equally strong connection with booksellers. A great deal of what we do relies on the enthusiasm and personal recommendations of those heroes of our trade whose shops Covid-19 has closed. We have lost many of our best advocates, not to mention the most practical way of getting books... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2020-05-15 06:00:32 UTC ]
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Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk has said he may be forced to sell his house in order to stay afloat after an accountant at his literary agency was arrested for embezzling $3.4m (£2.5m) from the company. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Revenue from the more than 1,200 publishers who report sales to the AAP increased 0.4% in 2017 over 2016, rising from $14.65 billion in 2016 to $14.70 billion last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook is in retreat mode these days as it continues to battle fake news. The social media juggernaut has decided to move away from digital publishers as a way of distancing itself from the internal problems it has been having for years. Facebook made a bold move by making a significant... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2018-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In this special Digiday guide, Digiday editors and reporters walk you through what to expect in the post-Facebook era. The post Download: The publisher’s survival guide for the post-Facebook era appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2018-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers should be fighting censorship "whenever they get the chance", Sir Antony Beevor has said, while observing that "more and more" attempts are being made by governments to "rewrite history". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Founded in 2009, OR was designed to be a new kind of publisher with a new kind of business model. Almost a decade later, that's still mostly true. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a sector that has struggled elsewhere, figures for 60 of the smallest players in the UK industry show sales up 79% in the last yearIndependent publishers have unleashed a boom in sales, according to new research. Latest figures from Inpress, which works with 60 of the smallest players in the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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They love Facebook's ability to turbo-charge their audience growth, but they hate perpetually being the last to know about changes. The post For small publishers, Facebook is often a force for good — and frustration appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2017-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The duopoly is forcing some unlikely partners into bed with each other.Large publishers are hatching new alliances to counter Google and Facebook, the so-called duopoly that's expected to capture 85% of new digital advertising this year in the U.S. and 60% of digital spending, according to... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2017-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The business of publishing and selling political-themed books moved front and center with the dawn of the Trump era in Washington. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent publishers would struggle to pay for better internet speeds and large publishers would deal with onerous taxes and competitive disadvantages. The post Surprise, small publishers screwed the most by net-neutrality rules appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2017-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook and Google control digital media and advertising, but it's not the end of the world just yet. The post Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith’s publisher survival guide in the duopoly era appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2017-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Get a group of digital publishers together, and you won’t get five minutes into the conversation without someone addressing the elephant in the room — Facebook. The social giant is unilaterally resetting the terms of its relationship with publishers, sending dwindling audience numbers to... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2017-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Joanna Penn—known as The Creative Penn in the self-publishing community—takes a step made by many strong self-publishers: launching a small press. The post ‘The Outsider Becomes the Mainstream’: A Key UK Self-Publisher Opens a Small Press appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week Facebook revealed it has partnered with eight French media companies to fact-check and filter news articles that have been flagged by its users. The news follows a similar effort started by news coalition led by First Draft News. French publishers have welcomed the efforts but admit... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2017-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The digital advertising ecosystem comprises an unlevel playing field vastly favoring the duopoly of Google and Facebook. Controlling 85% of media spend and 80% of referral traffic to independent publishers, this duopoly sets the rules and uses undue influence. Publishers and marketers alike... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2017-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has given the Breitbart writer a $250,000 deal – so I decided the Chicago Review of Books would not cover any of its authors in 2017Last week, the literary world gasped when one of the largest publishers in the United States, Simon & Schuster, rewarded America’s most... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This memoir of the American publisher of Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Tropic of Cancer is full of landmark literary moments“Some people think my chief claim to fame is having published the first book to be sold over the counter in this country with the word fuck printed on its pages in all its... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Among the key proposals made by the Australia Productivity Commission is backing the call for ending restrictions on parallel book imports before the end of 2017. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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These days, it is minimally staffed and funded firms who invest in new authors. The giants avoid such risk, only picking the writers once their names are madePaul McVeigh and Kirsty Logan are authors you may have heard of. Both of their debuts were published by Salt, an independent publisher.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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