People want stories and that means cultivating a publishing ecosystem where big and small can flourishThis week both the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority and the Department of Justice in the US announced investigations into the planned $2.2bn acquisition of the publisher Simon & Schuster by Bertelsmann, which already owns Penguin Random House. The merger, if allowed, would see Bertelsmann have almost one-third of English-language book sales. The move follows a year when a population cocooned at home, reaching for comfort reading, inflated the profits of big publishers. Bloomsbury and Pan Macmillan recently announced that they would be returning furlough payments; HarperCollins did not take them.Many of the UK’s smaller publishers fared rather differently: a Bookseller survey last summer found 60% feared they would cease to exist by autumn. Indies tend not to have the backlists full of household names that, say, a Penguin has; they depend far more on serendipity, on a customer wandering into a shop intending to buy one thing but coming out with something else as well. This happens far less with online shopping; at least one publisher lost up to 90% in sales. Some also found it difficult to qualify for furlough. They took to social media to announce their plight, or to try new selling tactics; some crowdfunded; some received emergency Arts Council England cash. Many were dragged back from the brink, for which we should be grateful. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2021-03-28 17:25:47 UTC ]
In a trading update, Bloomsbury has said it expects its annual revenue and profit to be "well ahead" of market expectations for the financial year ending 28th February 2021, although down on 2020's figures. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-29 02:27:52 UTC ]
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A bookseller in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, has launched a crowdfund to donate books to children who receive free school meals. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-28 17:56:42 UTC ]
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HarperCollins Ireland has appointed Catherine Gough from Gill Books as commissioning editor, while in the UK there is a promotion for Avon and HarperFiction marketing director Hannah O'Brien. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-28 15:53:18 UTC ]
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In a six-figure pre-empt, Pan Macmillan has scooped the autobiography of former rugby league player Rob Burrow, an ex-Leeds Rhinos legend diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-27 00:23:28 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has landed The Queer Bible, a “definitive” essay collection edited by Jack Guinness and featuring contributions from Elton John, Graham Norton, Munroe Bergdorf and Courtney Act among others. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-26 12:47:05 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has acquired Fit For Purpose by NHS general practitioner Dr Richard Pile. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-25 16:59:43 UTC ]
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How one bookseller found herself idiotsplaining a certain bookstore bathroom predicament to the legendary musician Lou Reed. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-01-25 11:34:00 UTC ]
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Louise Allen-Jones Associates (LAJA) has been engaged as UK scout by HarperCollins Holland and is expanding its team with a new appointment. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-24 17:08:24 UTC ]
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Pan Macmillan's sustainability imprint One Boat has triumphed in a nine-publisher auction for A Bigger Picture, billed as “part rousing manifesto, part poignant memoir” from Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-24 15:12:29 UTC ]
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Brayden Harrington, 13, who spoke at the Democratic National Convention, will write a picture book, “Brayden Speaks Up,” HarperCollins announced. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-01-21 11:55:52 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House owner Bertelsmann has extended Thomas Rabe’s contract as chairman and c.e.o. for another five years. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-21 01:01:48 UTC ]
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Pan Macmillan's Lucy Jones give The Bookseller an insight into her role as UK sales key account executive. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-18 02:02:49 UTC ]
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The bookseller has hired Emily Meehan as publisher and chief creative officer of Sterling Publishing in what it called part of a relaunch of its publishing division. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Maud Sepult will be promoted to group rights director at Simon & Schuster UK when Stephanie Purcell moves to Bloomsbury next month. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-14 01:49:37 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury is to publish fashion designer and entrepreneur Anya Hindmarch's guide to modern living, If In Doubt, Wash Your Hair. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-13 22:23:11 UTC ]
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HarperCollins imprint Mudlark has swooped for “classic in the making” Notes from a Summer Cottage by award-winning Swedish poet and essayist Nina Burton. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-13 20:57:26 UTC ]
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Industry veteran Ian Hudson has joined Bloomsbury as m.d. of the consumer publishing division and as executive director on the Bloomsbury executive committee. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-11 20:31:10 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury Continuum has acquired When America Stopped Being Great by BBC New York correspondent Nick Bryant. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-11 12:55:05 UTC ]
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HarperCollins UK has appointed Maheen Choonara to the newly created role of diversity, inclusion and belonging manager. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-10 13:02:45 UTC ]
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Egmont UK's 2019 revenue decreased 8.9% to £37.9m but the publisher had a £369,000 pre-tax profit in the financial year before the book business was bought by HarperCollins, new figures uploaded to Companies House show. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-08 08:40:13 UTC ]
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