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 ]
Bloomsbury Publishing has promoted Sarah Knight to UK adult sales director and recruited Sally Wilks from HarperCollins Children's Books to be its UK children’s sales director. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-28 15:45:01 UTC ]
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HarperCollins US imprint Dey Street is reportedly publishing a biography of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, written by two journalists with the couple's co-operation. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-27 10:29:43 UTC ]
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Emma Blackburn is leaving Bloomsbury Children's Books after eight years to join Hachette Children’s Group in the role of picture book and non-fiction publisher. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-24 10:24:27 UTC ]
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Amazon has been revealed as the mystery donor which pledged £250,000 to a fundraising drive to help booksellers impacted by the coronavirus crisis. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-23 04:37:57 UTC ]
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The Bookseller is to launch a series of weekly Twitter conversations with the authors shortlisted for this year's British Book Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-22 18:15:25 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury Children's Books has acquired fantasy author Lev Grossman's first children's book,The Silver Arrow. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-22 07:26:16 UTC ]
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Here’s some news to mix up your quarantine-driven online shopping life: the MoMA Design Store has just released a selection of rare books from its archive, and they’re now on sale at its website. The books include seminal texts like a first edition of William Eggleston’s Guide by John Szarkowski... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-20 20:00:04 UTC ]
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An hour’s drive away from my sleepy college town, there is a magical place. It is the place my friends and I would run away to whenever we were having a rough go of it, or quite frankly, whenever we just didn’t feel like going to class. (If any of my professors are reading this… […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-17 19:16:30 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury has raised gross proceeds of £8.4m, thanks to the completion of a share placement worth 5% of its existing share capital. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-17 13:18:40 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury is issuing new shares and implementing a raft of cash-saving measures to counter the impact of recent retail closures on its business, which in a "prudent downside scenario" the company estimated could see print revenues fall as much as 75%. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-17 01:14:48 UTC ]
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Pan Macmillan sales and brand director Anna Bond is leaving the publisher after 17 years to join Hachette UK as managing director of Octopus Publishing Group. She replaces current Octopus chief Alison Goff who is stepping down later this year after 21 years with the company. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-15 11:53:12 UTC ]
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Publisher HarperCollins has confirmed that it is placing a number of staff on furlough, both in its distribution centre and across the broader company. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-09 10:15:57 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury Sigma has acquired Anna Ploszajski’s debut book Handmade: A Scientist’s Search for Meaning through Making. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-09 01:54:20 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury has announced a strategy to support independent bookshops during the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-08 07:54:28 UTC ]
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Emma Herdman is set to join Bloomsbury as publishing director, specialising in commercial literary fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-07 22:42:32 UTC ]
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HarperCollins imprint Avon is to publish Clare Marchant's debut The Secrets of Saffron Hall. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-06 00:16:57 UTC ]
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Higher paid staff at Pan Macmillan have been asked to volunteer for a pay reduction and employees at its distribution arm will be furloughed as the publisher unveiled measures to help “safeguard” its business during the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-03 10:15:37 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury Absolute is set to publish Calum Franklin's debut cookbook in the autumn. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-03 05:46:12 UTC ]
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Bertelsmann has completed the acquisition of Pearson's remaining 25% stake in Penguin Random House, making it the sole owner of the world's largest trade publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has announced its intention to acquire Egmont Books UK for an undisclosed sum, alongside Egmont’s book businesses in Poland and Schneiderbuch Germany. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-01 18:47:00 UTC ]
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