- Diversion Books, the digital publishing startup founded by agent Scott Waxman, has formalized its new division, Diversion Distribution Services, naming Mary Cummings as vice president for business development. The distribution division focuses on providing self-published authors with access to traditional print sales and distribution. Meanwhile, Diversion is announcing the hire of Jaime Levine as publisher to start in January; Levine was formerly an executive editor at Grand Central Publishing. Levine told Shelf Awareness, “I’ve been deeply impressed with Diversion’s rapid growth from intelligent e-book start-up to publisher of compelling original books in all formats. Their marriage of digital and print is key.” Founded in 2010, Diversion publishes about sixty titles a year and has a backlist of a thousand titles. Find out more at Shelf Awareness.
- Starting in 2016, the biggest of the New York publishers, Penguin Random House, will simplify ebook terms of sale for libraries. The new model allows libraries permanent ownership of ebook files for their collections, which means an unlimited number of library patrons can borrow the ebook (one borrower at a time) in perpetuity. Prices will vary by title, but will range from $20 to $65. While it looks good on the surface, the new model isn’t as economically desirable when libraries wish to acquire additional e-copies of bestselling new releases—at consumer prices—when they’re at peak demand, and shed them later.
- If you already thought publishers were too focused on sure bets rather than nurturing new talent, then you won’t like the posthumous publishing trend.
- Writers can now submit with or without an agent to St. Martin’s digital-first romance imprint, Swerve.
- Oprah now has her own (unnamed) book imprint with Flatiron Books (Macmillan), which will include the release of her memoir, The Life You Want, in January 2017.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.