Simon & Schuster outperforms the industry. Will it reinvest profits in staff?
During the first quarter of the year, Simon & Schuster saw earnings nearly double due to strong backlist sales, BookTok, and low returns.
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Book distributor Baker & Taylor launches a publishing imprint
B&T’s Paw Prints Publishing will publish books for children ages three to eight.
Amazon launches Shopify competitor
Through Buy with Prime, Amazon will allow merchants to sell from their own website while taking advantage of Amazon Prime delivery.
Authors Guild launches book club with Fable
In response to book-banning efforts around the country, The Authors Guild is now offering a Banned Book Club with monthly picks.
New Christian publishing imprint
Esther Press is a new imprint under David C Cook that will focus on Bible studies, women’s stories, leadership books, devotionals, and video teachings.
Closing image: April 27, 2022
NPD Books analyst Kristen McLean recently reflected on the past 18 years of book sales.
Hachette CEO wonders what authors might want from publishers
Michael Pietsch, the CEO of Hachette, delivered the keynote talk at the recent Book Industry Study Group conference.
Barnes & Noble: it’s doing well, but …
A recent New York Times article was taken to task for being overly celebratory of the chain’s performance and position in the market.
Book sales update: April 27, 2022
According to NPD Books, print book sales are performing better than in 2019 but not as well as in 2021.
Publishing Innovators Emphasize NFTs Are about Community
The book industry discusses how to imbue NFTs with value and meaning for readers.
IMHO: Your Readers Don’t Yet Care about NFTs
Barriers to widespread adoption of NFTs include cryptocurrency, environmental concerns, transaction fees, and poorly defined value to the reader.
Trendspotting: Email Newsletter Advertising and Sponsorships
A primer on selling advertising in your email newsletter.
Four of the Big Five publishers enjoy their best profits ever in 2021
Here’s how last year fell out financially for the biggest US trade publishers.
First Amazon workers unionize
Earlier this month, Staten Island Amazon workers voted 2,654 to 2,131 in favor of forming the first Amazon union in the United States.
Book sales update: April 13, 2022
While US print book sales in March 2022 don’t look good compared to 2021, last year’s performance, as you will hear repeatedly, was highly unusual.
The Market for Fat Representation in Fiction
Fat representation—where being overweight doesn’t mean a character is evil or has something to overcome—is increasingly sought after.
Amazon Trend Report: Paranormal Women’s Fiction
The category invented by indie authors focuses on women in midlife.
BookTok: More Trusted Than Book Club Recommendations
Book clubs were the best way to spread word about books 20 years ago. But a new generation of readers seeks more personal recommendations.
Penguin Random House launches Sugar23 Books
The new imprint is a collaboration with Sugar23, a media platform founded by an Academy Award–winning producer and manager.
Authors call for Amazon’s ebook returns window to be shortened
At least once a year a reader discovers Amazon’s long-standing lenient refund/returns policy for ebooks and audiobooks, and spreads the word.
Yale University Press launches new series
The Ancient Lives series will focus on biographies of “thinkers, writers, kings, queens, conquerors, and politicians from all parts of the ancient world.”
Transworld launches new imprint
Transworld, a division of Penguin Random House UK, has established Torva, devoted to publishing hardcover nonfiction “that will change the future.”
New agent at Jenny Brown Associates (UK)
Lisa Highton will represent both fiction and narrative nonfiction. She was formerly publisher at the Hachette UK imprint Two Roads.
HarperCollins launches new imprint
Harper Select, a division of HarperCollins Focus, will publish memoir and narrative nonfiction starting this November.
Barnes & Noble begins selling digital audiobooks again
After having a dedicated Nook audiobooks app and audiobook website), Barnes & Noble is selling digital audiobooks through its main Nook app.
Closing Image: April 13, 2022
Courtesy of Publishers Weekly, this chart shows the 2020 vs 2021 performance of four of the Big Five publishers, which saw record profits last year.
A new digital storytelling app focuses on shorts works by well-known authors
Alexander will launch with nonfiction works from authors such as Colum McCann, Xiaolu Guo, Chigozie Obioma, Carlo Rovelli, and Valeria Luiselli.
Find Your Readers for Free
Experts at Ingram Content demonstrate book marketing research using free tools.
New Home for Writer Beware
After many years on Blogspot, Writer Beware has moved to a new domain and WordPress-based site.
New Nonfiction Imprint In the UK
Swift Press, an independent publisher based in London, has launched Forum, an imprint that will focus on books that question contemporary orthodoxies.
Edinburgh University Press partners on new nonfiction imprint
EUP, which is known for its focus on Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, has partnered with the Gibb Memorial Trust on a new scholarly imprint.
Closing Image: March 30, 2022
By a large majority, Americans oppose recent efforts to ban books from schools and libraries, saying they trust librarians to make appropriate collection decisions.
Author loses nomination for literary prize after online dustup
Lauren Hough, the author of Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing, recently lost her book’s nomination for the Lambda Prize.
Digging deeper into publishing workers’ dissatisfaction
At a webinar last week, more insight was provided on how the “great resignation” is manifesting in the publishing industry.
Senators propose stronger measures to combat copyright theft
Two Senators have introduced the SMART Copyright Act to “hold tech accountable by developing effective, widely available measures to combat copyright theft.”
Long read of the month: Understanding Amazon
Writers at the American Economic Liberties Project examine how Amazon has flourished as a result of exploiting legal gaps.
Book sales update: March 30, 2022
Through March 19, print book sales are down by 6 percent in the US, with mild losses in all categories, according to NPD Books.
Amazon Advertising for Traditionally Published Authors
Are Amazon ads a worthwhile expenditure? For a majority, probably not.
Current Trends in Historical Fiction
A look at the demands of writing historical fiction and what’s selling now
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IMHO: Substack Launches an App, and I Remain the Grumpy Skeptic
If you subscribe to a large assortment of Substack email newsletters, there is now an app (iOS only, so far) where you can read them all in one place.
The Many Moving Parts behind Brandon Sanderson’s Record-Breaking Kickstarter Campaign
The creation and fulfillment of Sanderson’s Kickstarter relies on a crack team managing massive amounts of data as well as all aspects of production.
How 2022 Debut Authors Collaborate to Promote Their Books
If there’s any tried-and-true rule about book marketing, it’s don’t go it alone.
Creating Ads That Fit TikTok
Testing is key to creating any type of successful advertising campaign on social media.
Amazon’s Answer to Clubhouse Will Interest Budding DJs
Amazon has launched a new app called Amp that unlocks the ability for hosts to stream songs, no subscription required.
New Literary Agency Alert: Portobello Literary (UK)
Caro Clarke, formerly Canongate’s senior rights manager, has launched Portobello Literary Edinburgh.
ESPN’s Andscape Launches Imprint with Disney
ESPN media network Andscape—its Black media platform—is launching a book imprint, Andscape Books, with Disney Publishing Worldwide.