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OverDrive’s Libby is newly available on Sonos
Libby is an app, most commonly used by library patrons on smartphones and tablets, that facilitates library lending for digital materials.
The Hot Sheet Index: May 13, 2020
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the top-selling audiobook genres for 2019 as distributed by Faraway Voices–Romance made up over 27%.
Mills & Boon now offers an ebook subscription service
The romance publisher, owned by HarperCollins, is launching We Love Romance with unlimited access to thousands of titles.
Two new Twitter accounts bring gossip and amusement to the literary community
Lit Twit Gossip decoded (@litgossip) will get you up to speed on the latest controversies on literary Twitter.
Closing Image: May 13, 2020
Findaway’s 2019 Headphone report presents a year of audiobook sales data from self-published authors and small publishers.
Coronavirus Update: May 13, 2020
As BookExpo and BookCon move online, all eyes turn toward biggest industry show of the year, Frankfurt Book Fair, scheduled for mid-October.
Big Publishers’ First-Quarter Reports Decidedly Mixed
Digital audio, ebooks, and bestsellers bolster the industry against varied declines in print and education sales.
Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy dies
She had worked at Simon & Schuster for more than 30 years and had been in the position of CEO since 2008.
After being canceled, BookExpo and BookCon move online
All sessions are free and open to the public and will be broadcast through the organization’s Facebook pages.
McGraw-Hill and Cengage cancel merger
Meanwhile, both companies carry significant debt, and K-12 and university textbook sales during coronavirus are anything but stable.
UK government eliminates taxes early on digital publications
Physical reading materials in the UK are not taxed, so the change brings tax equitability between the two formats.
How Much Will Author Earnings Decline? It’s a Wait-and-See Situation.
The most blatant threat to fiscal stability for self-publishing authors has so far come from Barnes & Noble via ebook distributors.
Going Beyond Virtual Events and Festivals: Innovative and Creative Ways to Market Online
And even if you do offer a creative and enticing online event, it’s hard to sell when so much content right now is available for free.
Ingram launches Bookfinity, an online book discovery website
If you trust quizzes to surface book recommendations, then you might be interested in giving Bookfinity a spin.
Hot Sheet Index: April 29, 2020
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the steps readers take once they finish a book, including reading about the author or following them online.
Closing Image: April 29,2020
Early in 2020, BookNet Canada surveyed Canadians about their leisure and reading behaviors in 2019. The public library is most popular.
Amazon finds itself in hot water again over predatory business practices
The Wall Street Journal published a story that claims Amazon uses data from third-party sellers to launch competing products.
Author wins lawsuit against pirate site
The pirate site Ebook.bike was eventually taken down, but not before author John Van Stry filed a lawsuit.
The State of America’s Libraries 2020
The report is notable for how much it isn’t about books at all, but about community services provided.
A new subscription service for manga fans
So far, it offers access to 300 translated manga titles from about a dozen different publishers for $4.99 per month.
Kensington introduces a new mass-market paperback format
Mass-market paperbacks have been declining as a format for years now; last year alone, the sales fell more than 15 percent on a unit basis.
Publishers Weekly launches #BooksAreEssential campaign, inspiring both support and critique
The campaign intends to “highlight the role books play in the health of American culture.”
Coronavirus Update: April 29, 2020
Coronavirus update includes global efforts continuing to mitigate—or reverse—losses and hardships during pandemic.
Largest US printer files Chapter 11
In a move that was expected before the arrival of COVID-19, the largest US book printer, LSC Communications, has filed for bankruptcy.
Candlewick and MIT Press launch joint imprints for the juvenile market
The two Boston-based publishers will collaborate on MIT Kids Press and MITeen Press to publish books on science and technology.
Coronavirus Update: April 15, 2020
Book publishers, bookstores, and others move into cost-cutting mode as US print sales dip on a year-on-year basis.
How to Plan and Host Worthwhile Online Book Events
With many book-marketing plans now upended, the entirety of the publishing community has turned its eye toward online events.
How to Appeal to Book Clubs—Even (Especially) during Social Isolation
The increasing acceptance of remote participation may be a boon to authors seeking engagement with book clubs.
British digital publisher Bookouture launches a nonfiction imprint
Bookouture has announced its first nonfiction imprint, which will focus on publishing “leading experts and voices” across numerous categories.
Hot Sheet Index: April 15, 2020
Hot Sheet Index reviewed how the big publishers in the US performed in 2019 versus 2018. Penguin Random House saw an increase in sales: +6.2%
Closing Image: April 15, 2020
Right now, more people are spending money on streaming services and gaming—and even ebooks have seen an uplift.
Sweden’s Storytel and Nextory are performing well in 2020
Storytel reports 45 percent growth over last year. Meanwhile, regional competitor Nextory is also reporting growth.
Publishers Weekly rounds up the fastest-growing North American independent publishers
While this report offers real insight into successful small publishers, it invariably includes companies that charge authors up front to publish.
More pushback on the National Emergency Library as the founder offers insight into borrowing behavior
A US Senator has openly questioned the legality of the library in an April 8 letter to the Archive’s founder, Brewster Kahle.
Harlequin adds a non-disparagement clause to their freelancer contract
The non-disparagement clause prohibits contractors from making derogatory statements about the publisher
A new craft books series from a UK publisher
White Owl Books has a new craft series debuting in May, with the first titles publishing in North America.
A new business imprint at the University of Virginia
UVA’s Darden School of Business is partnering with the University of Virginia Press on a new business publishing imprint.
Closing Image: April 1, 2020
online sales at independent bookstore websites have increased exponentially in 2020 versus the same time last year.
To Pitch or Not to Pitch: It’s a Strange Time to Be Submitting or Acquiring Work
Even though agents and editors may be attempting to conduct business as usual, the coronavirus undoubtedly affects acquisitions.
Coronavirus Update: April 1, 2020
Each sector of the book-publishing industry faces unique challenges; here are the latest developments and reports from each sector.
Hot Sheet Index: April 1, 2020
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the amount raised to benefit independent booksellers. The Book Industry Charitable Foundation raised $700,000.
ACX temporarily increases royalties on audiobooks but eliminates royalties for promotion codes
If you’re distributing your audiobook using ACX/Audible, then you have a small reason to celebrate.
Skyhorse publishes Woody Allen memoir, also lays off 30 percent of staff
As of today, only the ebook edition is available, not the print.