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 ]
ViacomCBS is expected to reactivate the sale process for Simon & Schuster this month, and Bertelsmann's chief says he's interested. The post Report: Germany’s Bertelsmann Interested in Buying Simon & Schuster appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-09-02 18:34:05 UTC ]
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In an interview with the 'Financial Times,' Thomas Rabe, chief executive at Penguin Random House's parent company, Bertelsmann, said he was interested in buying Simon & Schuster. Meanwhile, sources confirmed that, at a recent town hall meeting, HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray said HC was also... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Global revenues at Penguin Random House fell slightly by 1.4% year on year in a "solid" six months to 30th June despite the impact of Covid-19, while parent company Bertelsmann saw group revenues tumble 8.9%. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-01 10:51:49 UTC ]
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A good performance in the U.S. plus higher digital and online sales helped to soften the blow of the Covid-19 pandemic across Penguin Random House's global operations in the first half of 2020, parent company Bertelsmann said. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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For the first time, all eight regional bookseller associations are sponsoring a national kickoff to the fall shows. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Mr. Breitfeld was determined to attend this year’s antiquarian book fair in New York City. He began to sicken as he flew home, and died of the novel coronavirus. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-08-25 20:18:58 UTC ]
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A number of authors have withdrawn their books from Bloomsbury India, after the publishing house pulled Monika Arora's Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story, scheduled for publication this autumn. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-25 02:21:19 UTC ]
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There has been an outpouring of support for former HarperCollins creative director Ben North, following his revelation on social media last week that he has entered palliative care following treatment for brain tumours. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-25 01:07:20 UTC ]
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Tinder Press has acquired a debut novel by Naomi Ishiguro, former bookseller and bibliotherapist at Mr B’s Emporium in Bath. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-20 02:07:21 UTC ]
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Pan Macmillan has netted a “perfect summer thriller” set in Tuscany by Lizzy Barber, in a two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-19 18:19:51 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury Children's Books is to publish middle-grade adventure Alfie Miller, Lightning Catcher by debut author Clare Weze. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-19 13:19:12 UTC ]
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Antonia Daly has won The O’Brien Press Bookseller of the Year Award, commended for personifying prized qualities including knowledge, passion, courage and an ability to find the right book for customers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-19 07:20:10 UTC ]
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HarperCollins imprint Thorsons has scooped a new book from Rhonda Byrne, author of global phenomenon The Secret. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-16 21:08:19 UTC ]
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More than half of Tate's London bookshop staff are facing redundancy, with several roles in its books team and publishing operation also at risk, The Bookseller has learned. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-16 14:07:35 UTC ]
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A number of figures from across the retail spectrum are enthused by the prospect of a bumper autumn of releases, after many were delayed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-14 03:13:11 UTC ]
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Annabelle Wright, campaigns manager for ed public relations, talks to The Bookseller for My Job in Five. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-14 02:37:10 UTC ]
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The Bookseller has been sold just three times in its 162-year history; the first time in 1998 by the founding Whitaker family to VNU (now better known as Nielsen), the second time in 2010 to Nigel Roby, and then, as announced last week, to the publisher of the Stage magazine. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-14 02:02:55 UTC ]
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HarperCollins Children’s Books has revealed details of Future Friend, the “out of this world” new book from David Baddiel, with illustrations by Steven Lenton. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-13 16:15:53 UTC ]
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After the lockdown, hundreds of delayed titles are expected this autumn including many household names vying for Christmas successFrom Richard Osman’s first crime novel to Caitlin Moran’s new memoir, almost 600 hardbacks are due to be published on 3 September in a “massive bun fight” of new... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-08-13 06:00:47 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury has won a seven-way auction to secure Rumaan Alam's "unnerving" novel, Leave the World Behind, deciding to "crash" the book into its autumn schedule. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-12 06:57:56 UTC ]
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