Sequoia Kids Media will target the school and library market
The new children’s publishing imprint, launched by Phoenix International, will release more than 30 titles in spring of 2021.
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Unruly: a new children’s picture book imprint
Children’s publisher Enchanted Lion is launching a new imprint in spring 2021 dedicated to picture books that defy traditional categorization.
University of New Mexico Press launches a new imprint
Starting in March 2021, High Road Books will publish both fiction and nonfiction with western roots and national appeal.
Bertelsmann (owner of Penguin Random House) to buy Simon & Schuster for $2.2 billion
Simon & Schuster, one of the Big Five publishers in the US, was put on the sale block earlier this year, and now Bertelsmann has put in the winning bid.
Europe’s bookstores experience a second lockdown; Brexit looms
As COVID-19 cases spike this winter, several countries have imposed lockdowns that include closing bookstores.
No surprise: Amazon has record third quarter
The pandemic has boosted sales for the online retailer, increasing revenue by 37 percent overall.
Meanwhile, the EU files anti-competition charges against Amazon
Yesterday, Amazon was charged with violating competition laws by using the data it gathers from its own third-party sellers to compete against those sellers.
Storytel grows its subscriber base by more than a third
Audiobook subscription service Storytel has seen its subscriber base grow 34 percent in the most recent quarter.
Kindle Owners’ Lending Library to be shuttered
Customers may continue reading books they previously borrowed from KOLL.
Parent company of Penguin Random House buys book printer
A division of Bertelsmann has bought two of the book-printing operations that Quad has been trying to sell since the fall of 2019.
Book sales update: “supply chain shifts” lead to better performance
The AAP released its September 2020 estimate of sales, showing gains for adult hardcover and paperbacks—and even mass market print growth.
New US children’s publisher: Little Genius Books
Starting in spring 2021, Little Genius Books will publish board books, picture books, activity books, nonfiction, novelty books, and more.
London Book Fair moves to summertime for 2021
London Book Fair is typically held every year in March, but organizers just announced it will be moved to June 29–July 1 and remain at the Olympia.
New YA imprint at Sterling
Sterling Teen will publish one to three books each season, starting with fiction but branching out into nonfiction.
The Newsletter Service Substack Is Attracting High-Profile Journalists and Media Professionals
Founded in 2017, Substack is an email newsletter platform that has become one of the most buzzed-about startups this year.
New Big Five BIPOC imprint: Legacy Lit
Hachette Book Group is launching Legacy Lit, dedicated to books for and by people of color.
How to Run More Effective Amazon and Facebook Ads
Most career indie authors today run paid advertising to keep their books visible, with steady sales or reads
New Canadian publisher: Hush Harbour
Two Toronto-based authors have launched Hush Harbour, a literary press dedicated to Black queer feminism and uplifting works of short fiction.
Library Priorities Questioned in Controversial Report
Have libraries lost their way by focusing on community over reading? The author of The Freckle Report thinks so.
New podcast: The Happy Author
A UK-based author of 16 books, Dorothy Koomson has started a podcast to help aspiring authors and demystify the publishing industry.
Closing Image: November 11, 2020
Amazon recently released its third-quarter results, showing growth of more than 30 percent year on year.
Consumer division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is up for sale
While not one of the Big Five publishers, HMH is definitely a large publisher, with both trade and textbook publishing divisions.
Booksellers might be struggling, but few have closed in the US
Vox recently reported—via figures from the American Booksellers Association—that 35 member bookstores have closed during the pandemic.
Barnes & Noble gets hacked
The Oct. 10 hack affected multiple systems, including sales reporting, customers’ Nook libraries, and corporate office systems.
There’s now a union for scripted podcast creators
The Writers Guild of America East is now organizing within the scripted podcast space (mostly fiction podcasts).
Book publishing deals remain steady this year, with debut fiction deals up
While dealmaking has remained flat in the industry for five years, deals grew by 11.5 percent this year versus last year.
New agent alert: Amy Collins at Talcott Notch
Amy Collins has worked in the publishing industry as a book buyer and sales rep and is now an agent with Talcott Notch Literary Services.
New literary agency established in Liverpool, England
Earlier this month, we announced the opening of two new literary agencies in the UK, and now a third has joined them.
Book sales update: October 28, 2020
According to NPD BookScan, for the first three quarters of 2020 US print book unit sales are up by 6.4 percent.
HarperCollins UK launches online Author Academy for underrepresented writers
The six-week program is online and free to attend for writers who are admitted in one of three tracks: fiction, nonfiction, and children’s.
The editor of Michelle Obama’s Becoming starts a new publishing house
Molly Stern has launched her own independent publishing company, Zando, using startup funds from SISTER, a global content company.
Industry Experts Consider Streaming Services Critical to Long-Term Growth for Book Publishing
At this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, one day of virtual programming was devoted to the audio market in all its permutations.
Largest online bookseller in Australia prepares for IPO
Booktopia, founded in 2014, plans to go public in December and drum up investment—its third attempt to do so since 2016.
What the Publishing Industry Is Doing to Further Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Accountability and sustained, industry-wide effort at all levels will be essential to promote equity and inclusion.
IngramSpark has a new director
The new director is Paige Allen, who comes to Ingram from Horton Group, a web design and digital marketing agency in Nashville.
How to Sell More Books This (Unusual) Holiday Season
Strategically expanding your marketing efforts over an extended gift-buying season can help you boost your share of holiday sales.
Should Authors Be Using Medium? Short Answer: Probably Not
Medium’s ever-shifting business model and policies make it a risky platform for authors seeking to build a reliable following or monetize content
Melanin in YA database promotes Black voices
The site is the sole effort of writer Melody Simpson and provides a way for YA-focused Black authors and book professionals to find one another.
Works in Translation: US Editors Discuss Acquisitions and Marketing Challenges
Editors acquiring works for translation into English look for compelling manuscripts and for works with a good track record in their native language.
New YA romance imprint at Random House Children’s
Married YA authors Nicola Yoon and David Yoon will help develop the Joy Revolution imprint, to launch in 2022.
HarperCollins creates a new comics imprint for young readers
HarperCollins is extending its existing series, I Can Read! (established in 1957), by launching I Can Read Comics! next year.
Two new literary agencies open in the UK
The first, Laxfield Literary Associates, will be run by Emma Shercliff in association with the Blake Friedmann Literary Agency.
Global 50: World ranking of publishing industry released for 2020
German-based firm Rüdiger Wischenbart Content and Consulting releases a free annual report on the status of the world’s biggest publishers.
Fox News and HarperCollins sign deal
So far, the deal encompasses three titles under the Fox News Books imprint.