New agent at The Rights Factory
Emmy Nordstrom Higdon is primarily looking to represent authors of literary, upmarket, and commercial fiction.
Premium Content
Penguin Random House sees a tiny bit of growth in 2019 and braces itself for a downturn
The world’s largest trade book publisher, Penguin Random House, showed organic growth of 1.5 percent in 2019.
Penguin Random House partners with a comic book publisher
The audio division of PRH is now collaborating with Rebellion to produce science fiction audiobooks.
PublishDrive now offers print, ebook, audio distribution under one roof
The distributor now holds the distinction of being the first service for self-published authors that can distribute all three major book formats.
New agent representing adult nonfiction
Laura Mazer has joined Wendy Sherman Associates as a literary agent. Previously, she was executive editor at Seal Press.
The Internet Archive announces the National Emergency Library, which seems designed to provoke a lawsuit
Each title in its catalog can be borrowed simultaneously by anyone worldwide at no cost—and with no compensation to publishers or authors.
Big Five Publisher Simon & Schuster Is for Sale
it looks like the Big Five may soon become the Big Four. Simon & Schuster’s parent company, ViacomCBS, has announced its intention to sell.
Researching Amazon Keywords and Categories: A Look at the Paid Research Tools
Majority of US book sales happening online, importance of a book’s discoverability through retailers like Amazon can hardly be overstated.
Hot Sheet Index: March 18, 2020
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the U.S. trade publishing sales in 2019 and 2018. Change in US trade sales for adult work in 2019: -1.9%.
Closing Image: March 18, 2020
AAP recently released its StatShot report for December 2019, for a full-year look at 2019 performance versus 2018.
Coronavirus’s Early Effects on the Publishing Industry
Event cancellations are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential fallout, with independent bookstores particularly at risk.
A new sustainability imprint from Pan Macmillan (UK)
The publisher says One Boat refers to the power of one—how one person can make a huge impact and one habit can make a big difference.
Bookable: a podcast focused on how a book came to be
The host of a new biweekly show about books is author Amanda Stern, the creator of the Happy Ending Music and Reading Series in New York.
Workman has formed its own audiobook division
The trade publisher will be mining opportunities on its frontlist and backlist as well as considering audio-first projects.
RBMedia has acquired GraphicAudio
GraphicAudio is a producer of dramatized audio content featuring full casts of actors, sound effects, and cinematic music.
Macmillan abandons library ebook embargo
Possibly bowing to numerous sources of pressure, Macmillan has abandoned its unpopular ebook embargo.
Woody Allen memoir canceled after publisher’s employees stage walkout
On Friday, March 7, Hachette announced the book’s cancellation and reverted all rights to Allen.
Critics of American Dirt speak face-to-face with Oprah and the author
The discussion, streaming on Apple TV+, features author Jeanine Cummins and three Latina authors, all critical of the book.
The latest James Daunt profile, this time at Bloomberg
This long read on the history of Barnes & Noble is a good primer on the fortunes of the chain.
The biggest book printer in the United States teeters on bankruptcy
LSC has shown signs of struggle due to a drop in printing demand across multiple sectors, which is exacerbated by its heavy debt load.
What’s selling to libraries?
Mystery, thriller, romance, literary, and women’s were the top print fiction subjects purchased by US public libraries last year.
A new YA paperback imprint from a Big Five house
Delacorte Press (under Penguin Random House) is launching Underlined, a YA imprint that will publish thriller, romance, and horror.
Ingram Establishes Content Integrity Guidelines
Concerns in the publishing community bad actors have been taking advantage of services to publish and distribute masses of low-quality books.
PubWest 2020: Business Insights for Publishers outside of the Big Five
The vast majority of PubWest attendees publish a broad range of nonfiction, but there were an inspiring handful who were focused on fiction
The Market May Now Be Ready: Translation for Self-Published Authors
Since Amazon advertising is available in its Germany, France, Spain, and Italy storefronts, gamble on translations is more likely to pay off.
Hot List Index: March 4, 2020
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the number of You Tube channels and the hours of content released by these channels in one week.
Closing Image: March 4, 2020
Videos aimed at children on YouTube are highly popular; they receive nearly three times as many views on average as other types of videos.
Publishing trade shows and book fairs canceled due to coronavirus
As of today, just about every international gathering of publishing-industry professionals in March has been postponed or canceled.
Sales and earnings down at Simon & Schuster after a bad fourth quarter
The CEO blames the lack of a 2019 blockbuster title, plus higher costs on book printing in China due to Trump tariffs.
A Reddit thread by an author jumping to self-pub from traditional is being avidly shared and discussed by writers
Although nonfiction author Scott Carney is citing figures not readily available in royalty statements, his experiment is worth watching.
Storytel showed double-digit growth in 2019 and is bullish on the audiobook market (of course)
In 2019, Storytel hit its target for subscriber growth (1.1 million), and it anticipates 1.5 million subscribers by the end of 2020.
Rage over Rage Baking
A new cookbook has resulted in controversy about how publishers appropriate ideas, whitewash concepts, and profit from marginalized voices.
Re-envisioning how a flagship Barnes & Noble store could operate
The latest commentary from a publishing consultant uniquely demonstrates the lack of vision at B&N.
Longread of the week: Can Twitter save science?
A person connected to the venture capital community suggests that Twitter can disrupt the academic journal business model.
HarperCollins launches HarperChapters, an imprint for early readers
Each book will be 96 pages, with brief chapters and illustrations (or “airy layouts”), and feature stories with action and humor.
iHeartPodcast Network is now turning podcasts into books
Their new imprint (in partnership with Flatiron Books) launches in September with Stuff You Should Know by Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant.
Dan Brown enters the children’s book market
Dan Brown’s first picture book, Wild Symphony, illustrated by Susan Batori, will release on September 1 from Rodale Kids.
Hallmark and Walmart partner on mass-market romance line
Starting Feb. 25, one Hallmark romance novel will be highlighted each week at Walmart, beginning with Country Hearts by Cindi Madsen.
Maria Rogers joins The Tobias Literary Agency
Rogers seeks smart cultural criticism, original journalism, science writing, children’s nonfiction, ancient history, and contemporary issues.
Despite Lackluster Sales, Chain Bookstores Increase Profits
Profits are riding high at Waterstones based on a modest sales gain; Barnes & Noble is a mess; Indigo sales are down.
Findaway Voices: Expanding Features and Tools for Audiobook Marketing
We delved into audiobook sales opportunities for authors and suggested going wide may be better long-term than exclusivity with Audible.
Hot Sheet Index: February 19, 2020
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the number of people in the U.S. who visited libraries in 2019 versus the number of people going to the movies.
Managing Deals and Licensing as an Author: Three Tips from an Expert
Knowing term options and building publisher relationships can help authors negotiate favorable deals, keep information flowing, and recover from inevitable mishaps
Closing Image: February 19, 2020
According to a Gallup poll, even though we live in a digital media era, libraries have endured as a place Americans visit nearly monthly.
Audible must secure permission for Captions use
As a result of the final settlement with publishers, Audible cannot add captions to copyright-protected content without explicit permission.
The entire RWA board has resigned
This is part of the continuing fallout from the Courtney Milan censure in December 2019.
Barnes & Noble cancels the Diverse Editions project
For Black History Month, the Fifth Avenue Barnes & Noble in New York City planned to release 12 classic novels with re-imagined covers.