Barnes & Noble’s Strategy: It’s All about the Books
CEO James Daunt discusses the necessarily slow journey to improve, store by store, after the chain was run by “numpties.”
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Audio Originals: Not a Backup Plan for the Print Book You Couldn’t Sell
Editors look for stories most compellingly told on audio; quicker time to market can play a role, too.
New agent at Lucinda Literary
Previously an editor in academia, Kelly Bergh has joined Lucinda Literary as an agent.
New children’s imprint from Baker & Taylor
Paw Prints Readers will publish works exploring diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Ten Speed Press launches graphic imprint
Ten Speed Graphic will publish literary adaptations, global webcomics, biography, memoir, history, how-to, fiction, and licensed entertainment titles.
Increased printing costs at Amazon KDP
Starting June 20, for the first time since its launch in 2016, Amazon KDP will increase the pricing for print (POD) books.
Florida school district sued over book bans
PEN America—along with Penguin Random House, authors, and parents—has filed suit in federal court.
Book sales update: May 24, 2023
For the week ending May 13, Circana BookScan reports many new releases among the top print bestsellers in the US.
IMHO: There Is No Normal with Agents
A recent incident in which authors were suddenly dropped from a literary agency highlights questions about what authors can expect from agents.
A New Subscription Platform Designed Just for Authors
Ream recently moved out of beta and is open to any author who wishes to join.
On the List: Twisted Love by Ana Huang
Ana Huang is a USA Today, international, and number-one Amazon bestselling author.
New agent at Idea Architects
Sydney Rogers is currently executive editor at HarperOne (HarperCollins), which specializes in nonfiction.
New imprint at Open Road Media
Re-Discovery Lit at Open Road Media will publish out-of-print titles and books where rights have reverted to the author.
New imprint at Penguin Random House UK
Fern Press will operate as part of Vintage at PRH UK, focusing on nonfiction.
New children’s imprint in North America
Australian publisher Hardie Grant is launching its children’s imprint, Bright Light, for the North American market.
TikTok launches UK Book Awards
The TikTok Book Awards will launch this year, with a curated longlist based on BookTok data, publisher contributions, and a panel of judges.
Links of Interest: May 24, 2023
The latest in traditional publishing, AI, social media, the creator economy, audio, and culture & politics.
Penguin Random House buys troubled Callisto
PRH, the biggest of the Big Five publishers, has acquired Callisto Media, a startup publisher that’s fallen on hard times after their venture capital funding dried up.
Orbit launches a digital publishing imprint
SFF publisher Orbit (a division of Hachette) has announced Orbit Works, a new imprint that will publish ebooks and audiobooks.
Harry Potter will be adapted into a decade-long TV series
Each season will be based on one of the seven Harry Potter books and available for streaming on Max (formerly known as HBO Max).
A Small Publisher Doubles Revenue during the Pandemic
Lost Art Press in Kentucky has benefitted from abandoning industry norms.
Casemate starts new imprint
Casemate is an independent publisher that publishes primarily military history books.
HarperCollins testing AI-generated content
HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray said the publisher is experimenting with generative AI for translated and illustrated book projects.
Draft2Digital now distributes to Kobo Plus
Kobo Plus is extending service into the UK and the US, and Draft2Digital has now added Kobo Plus to its standard Kobo distribution.
AI models have more than likely been trained on your website
While it’s already well known that AI has been trained on websites and books, a Washington Post report has made that fact even clearer.
Free summit on subscriptions for authors
If you want to learn how to earn money selling subscriptions direct to reader, the folks at Ream are hosting a three-day summit May 5–7.
Kindle Unlimited payout significantly dwindles in March 2023
Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited payouts to self-published authors—determined after the reading takes place—took a recent nosedive.
Links of Interest: April 26, 2023
The latest news about London Book Fair, literary magazines, tradition and self-publishing, libraries, B&N, AI, and culture & politics.
Scholastic asks author to remove discussion of racism from author’s note
Love in the Library is a picture book about how the author’s Japanese-American grandparents met at an internment camp during World War II.
Barnes & Noble has managed returns down to 7 percent
In a profile of James Daunt, it’s revealed that the chain now has returns down to 7 percent from its previous average of 30 percent.
Book sales update: April 26, 2023
According to Circana BookScan, 2023 print sales are down by 2 percent in the US versus last year—but running 15 percent ahead of 2019.
IMHO: New Author Earnings Survey Offers Needed Counterbalance to Traditional Doom & Gloom
ALLi offers insights into the often-ignored self-publishing market.
On the List: Amish Wilderness Survival by Mary Alford
Mary Alford is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than 50 novels.
New comic book publisher
DSTLRY was founded this month by former executives at ComiXology (owned by Amazon).
A new advocacy group: Humanity in Fiction
The site reads, “As with any tool, the effect that AI can have on writing and publishing has equal potential for benefit as well as harm.”