The Guardian view on the writing business: readers must ultimately benefit | Editorial

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 ]

Other news stories related to: "The Guardian view on the writing business: readers must ultimately benefit | Editorial"


Best laptop deals for Prime Day 2024: Juicy sales on great notebooks

Amazon Prime Day 2024 is finally here and so is the deluge of laptop deals. Whether you need a lightweight notebook for school or a lightning-fast rig for marathon gaming sessions, these discounted laptops are primed (ha!) and ready to meet every need. You will need a Prime subscription,... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2024-07-16 07:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Best laptop deals for Prime Day 2024: Juicy sales on great notebooks

With Amazon Prime Day 2024 right around the corner, we’re seeing loads of laptop deals popping up all over the place like wild daisies. That means you don’t have to wait until the official event arrives on July 16th. Prime Day sales are exclusive to Prime members, so make sure you’ve... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2024-07-12 10:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Authors ask Waterstones to rehire worker fired after tweet about gender-critical writer

Over 500 industry professionals sign open letter to bookseller after employee’s post about ‘tearing up books’ by Christina DalcherMore than 500 authors and book industry professionals have signed an open letter calling on Waterstones to reverse a decision to dismiss an employee who said she... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-07-11 10:31:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Remembering Samuel Roth, the Bookseller Who Defied America’s Obscenity Laws

Samuel Roth was the sort of bookseller whose wares came wrapped in brown paper. Titles like Gershon Legman’s The Sexual Conduct of Men and Women, Maxwell Bodenheim’s My Life and Loves in Greenwich Village, and most notoriously his anthologized periodical of high-brow smut, American Aphrodite: A... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-07-03 08:56:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Booktopia Files for Voluntary Administration

The future of the Australian online bookseller has grown more uncertain with the appointment of a firm to undertake “an urgent assessment of Booktopia’s business.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The UK’s Bloomsbury Buys the US-Based Rowman & Littlefield

The acquisition of the American house Rowman & Littlefield, Bloomsbury UK says, will double its academic operations in the States. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson Newton: ‘40,000 Academic Titles added to Ours’ n London today (May 29), Bloomsbury Publishing UK has... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-05-29 17:24:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bloomsbury Buys Rowman & Littlefield Academic Division for $83 Million

In one bold move, the Bloomsbury accomplished two of its main goals for the year: adding to its academic holdings and expanding its presence in the U.S. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


HarperCollins Continues Sales Revamp

As part of a makeover at the HarperCollins sales department, VP of independent sales and wholesale Kathy Faber will take on additional responsibilities in the indie channel, and Wendy Ceballos will become director of independent sales and retail marketing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Number of Independent Bookstores in the U.S. Has Doubled in the Last 8 Years

Today's links include the continued rise in independent bookstores, a master bookseller on bookselling, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-05-24 19:41:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Bookseller Who Brought Hardcovers to America’s Most Famous Bookstore

In “Reading the Room,” Paul Yamazaki, the chief buyer for City Lights Booksellers, calls this “one of the richest and most rewarding times” to be a literature fan. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-05-23 09:00:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Sarah J. Maas Flies Bloomsbury to Record Highs

Sales of books by the romantasy superstar rose a total 161% in fiscal year 2024, leading to a 57% jump in profits on a 30% increase in sales for Bloomsbury in the year ended February 29. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Worst Town Names in America—And Other Useless Maps

The following are from Terrible Maps: Hilarious Maps for a Ridiculous World by Michael Howe. __________________________________ From Terrible Maps: Hilarious Maps for a Ridiculous World by Michael Howe. Copyright © 2024. Available from HarperCollins, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-05-22 08:55:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Seminary Co-op Bookstores Voluntarily Recognize Booksellers' Union

The management of Chicago's Seminary Co-op and and 57th Street Books has voluntarily recognized a union formed by bookseller employees of the member-owned cooperative. SCBU IU 660 is a branch of the Industrial Workers of the World. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Johann Hari apologises after falsely attributing Ozempic claim to food critic Jay Rayner

Publisher Bloomsbury has promised to correct the error made in Hari’s new book Magic PillJohann Hari and his publisher Bloomsbury have apologised after the author wrongly claimed in his latest book that Observer restaurant critic Jay Rayner had taken the diabetes drug Ozempic.In Magic Pill, Hari... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-05-15 16:50:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this


London and New York: Ken Follett Moves to Hachette

The author of 37 published books, Ken Follett will move to Hachette for his next release, after publishing with PRH and Pan Macmillan. The post London and New York: Ken Follett Moves to Hachette appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-05-13 17:32:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Ken Follett to Publish New Novel with Hachette in 2025

Author Ken Follett will publish his next, as-yet-untitled book with Hachette Book Group and Hachette UK, after decades with Penguin and Pan Macmillan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘I have my iPhone, X and a brain in my head’: Ukrainian journalist and social media star Illia Ponomarenko

Ahead of the publication of his raw account of the Russian invasion, the reporter talks about capturing the conflict in real time – and when the war will come to an endIllia Ponomarenko was mulling over the idea of writing a book about the war in his home country, Ukraine. He decided to ask his... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-05-11 10:00:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Jim Fox, Former HarperCollins General Counsel, Dies at 85

Fox, who worked at HarperCollins Publishers for 35 years and as the company's general counsel for a decade, died on May 2 following an extended illness. Former HC president and CEO Jane Friedman once called Fox "a legend in his own time." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


HarperCollins Profits Slow Down in the Third Quarter

HarperCollins eked out only a small profit in its latest quarter, with a 14% increase in digital audiobook sales insufficient in offsetting softer sales to Walmart and Costco and slowing sales of romance books and children's books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Mary Beth Thomas Out as HarperCollins Offers Sales Buyouts

Mary Beth Thomas, the v-p and director of independent retail sales at HarperCollins, has left the company, PW can confirm. In addition, HarperCollins is offering a voluntary buyout program for salespeople, according to a person familiar with the matter. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this