Publishing Trends

People Round-Up, Mid-June 2015

June 17, 2015

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PEOPLE

Harold Augenbraum will step down from his position as Executive Director of the National Book Foundation in March 2016, after ten years in the role. No successor has been named yet, but a search is underway. Meanwhile, author Reynold Levy joined the Board of Directors.

Amy Brand is now Director of MIT Press, succeeding Ellen Faran, effective July 20th. Brand was most recently VP at Digtial Science, a division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group.

Maha Khalil is now VP, National Accounts for Perseus Books Group and Perseus Distribution with the additional responsibilities as Sales Director for Running Press. She was Director of Sales and Marketing for Skyhorse.

Karen Thomas is now Publisher of Cleis Press and Viva Editions, following the resignation of Brenda Knight. Thomas was formerly Executive Editor at Grand Central Publishing and Founding Editor of Dafina Books.

At Crown Publishing Group, Jessica Brown joined Convergent Books as Publicist/Marketer and David Hawk has joined Ten Speed Press as Senior Marketing and Publicity Manager. Brown was Publicist at Howard Books and Hawk was Senior Marketing and Publicity Manager, Food and Drink at Chronicle Books. At Puffin, Jennifer Bonnell resigned as Executive Editor after 16 years with the company. She plans to pursue freelance editorial consulting opportunities. She can be reached at jen@jenbonnell.com.

Ebony LaDelle joined Simon & Schuster as Marketing Manager. She was Marketing and Promotions Manager at Henry Holt & Company.

Sandy Smith joined Chronicle Books as Marketing Manager, Entertainment & Art. She was previously in the marketing department of Wiley.

Michael Connole will join Quarto in September as CFO. He is currently CFO of Global Radio Group.

At literary agencies, Daniel Menaker joined McCormick Literary as Affiliate Agent. He was formerly Editor at the New Yorker and Editor-in-Chief of Random House. . . John Cusick joined Folio Literary Management’s Folio Jr. as Agent. Previously he was Agent at Greenhouse Literary. . . Matthew DiGangi joined Bresnick Weil Literary Agency as Affiliate. He was previously in the contracts department of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. . . Thérèse Coen joined Madeleine Milburn Ltd. as Rights Agent and Sarah O’Halloran as Agent. Coen was Rights Executive at Ed Victor Ltd. and O’Halloran was Literary Scout at Louise Allen-Jones Associates.

Additionally at university presses, Kerry Cahill joined Johns Hopkins University Press as Sales Director of the Books Division. She succeeds Tom Lovett, who retires at the end of June. Cahill was formerly Associate Director, College Sales and Marketing at Cambridge University Press. . . Justin Race was named Director at University of Nevada Press. He was Acquisitions Editor at Rowman & Littlefield.

Lia Hunt joined Princeton Architectural Press as Sales and Marketing Director. She was VP at Folio Society. Sarah McKay joined as Program Director of the gift and stationary line, Paper+Goods. She was at the New York Times. Stephanie Leke is now Publicist. She previously worked for publicity firms The Eighth Floor and The Musmanno Group.

Mary Glenn joined Humanix Books as Publisher. She was most recently Publisher at McGraw-Hill Professional.

Margaret Coffee joined Sourcebooks as National Account Manager, Schools and Libraries. She was Sales and Marketing Director at Egmont USA. Additionally, Stephanie Graham is now Marketing Coordinator. She was Communications Assistant in the International Education office at Marquette University.

Samantha Frontera joined Triumph Books as Publicist. She was Publicist at Exclusive PR and Exact Publicity.

James Hadley Billington will step down from his position as Librarian of Congress at The Library of Congress in January 2016 after almost three decades.

Hut Landon will retire from his position as Executive Director of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association at the end of the year, after 15 years in the role.

Posted in Book View • Tagged 19th Annual International Conference on Electronic Publishing (Elpub), Adam Schnitzer, Adrienne Krogh, Amazon, Amy Brand, Andrea Spooner, Andrew Gochnauer, Anime Expo, Ashley Garland, Barnes & Noble College, Basic Books, Books-A-Million, Brenda Knight, Bresnick Weil Literary Agency, Cambridge University Press, Casablanca, CBA's International Christian Retail Show, Chronicle Books, Cleis Press, Comic-Con International: San Diego, Convergent Books, Crown Publishing Group, DaCapo, Dafina Books, Dan Gerstle, Daniel Menaker, David Adams, David Hawk, Dawn Adams, Diane Levinson, Digital Science, Duke University Press, Ebony LaDelle, Ecco, Ed Victor Ltd, Egmont USA, Elena Hershey, Ellen Faran, Emily Hughes, Emily Young, Exact Publicity, Exclusive PR, Farrin Jacobs, Festival at the Edge, Folio Jr, Folio Literary Management, Folio Society, Frankfurt Book Fair, Gallup Press, Global Radio Group, Grand Central Publishing, Greenhouse Literary, Harlem Book Fair, Harold Augenbraum, HarperCollins, Hastings, Henry Holt & Company, Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Howard Books, Humanix Books, Hut Landon, International New Age Trade Show, International Reading Association Annual Conference and Expo, James Chan, James Hadley Billington, Jessica Brown, Jillian Rahn, John Cusick, Johns Hopkins University, Juan Felipe Herrera, Justin Race, Justin Velella, Karen Thomas, Kerry Cahill, Kidsbooks LLC, Landmark, Laura Gates Galvin, Lia Hunt, Little Brown, Little Brown Children's, Lori De Reza, Louise Allen-Jones Associates, Madeleine Milburn Ltd, Maha Khalil, Margaret Coffee, Marquette University, Mary Glenn, Matthew DiGangi, McCormick Literary, McGraw-Hill Professional, Michael Connole, Michael McCullough, MIT Press, National Book Foundation, New York Times, New Yorker, Nichole Komasinski, Northern California Independent Booksellers Association, O'Reilly Open Source Convention (OSCON), Open Road Integrated Media, Paper+Goods, Penguin Random House, Perseus Books Group, Perseus Distribution, Poppy, Princeton Architectural Press, PublicAffairs, Publishers Group West, Puffin, Putnam, Quarto, Random House, Reynold Levy, Romance Writers of America Conference, Rowman & Littlefield, Running Press, Samantha Frontera, Samantha Hagerbaumer, Sandy Smith, Sarah McKay, Sarah O'Halloran, SCBWI's Annual Summer Conference, Simon & Schuster, Skyhorse, Sourcebooks, South African Book Fair, St. Martin's Press, Stephanie Graham, Stephanie Leke, Ten Speed Press, The Eighth Floor, The Musmanno Group, Thérèse Coen, Thrillerfest X, Tokyo International Book Fair (TIBF), Tom Cho, Tom Lovett, Triumph Books, University of Nevada Press, Viva Editions, Weinstein, Wiley

Not New York: Book Business and Culture in Toronto, Canada

By PT Editors

June 10, 2015

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Editor’s note: This post originally appeared on Publishing Trendsetter and was written by a guest contributor, Suman Seewat, Marketing Coordinator for HarperCollins Canada. We’ve added contact information for several of the companies mentioned in the article at the bottom of this post.

Those of us living in Toronto are a lucky bunch. Torontonians have access to one of the best library systems in the country, are fortunate enough to be surrounded by a great selection of independent bookstores we can support, and live in a city home to some of the nation’s most celebrated authors.

Toronto also houses the offices of numerous publishers, including HarperCollins Canada, Penguin Random House Canada, House of Anansi, Simon and Schuster Canada, Hachette Canada, Kobo, Harlequin (one of several principal offices), and University of Toronto Press, as well as independent publishers like ECW Press and Coach House Books. Given the number of publishing houses in Toronto, we have a strong community of industry professionals who are passionate about Canadian literature and literacy. Since I began working in publishing three years ago at HarperCollins, I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet with people working for various publishers, who really are the best of the best.

Another great part about the publishing scene in Toronto is that there are three great programs offered here, that are perfect for recent graduates, individuals already in the publishing industry who are looking to further their skills, or those looking for a career change.

Humber College offers a four-month Creative Book Publishing program taught by industry professionals. The program starts with two months of publishing courses, after which students choose three of five specializations: editorial, marketing, literary agenting, technology, or a research project. The program ends with a group “Enterprise” assignment where students create their own fictional publishing company.

Ryerson University’s Certificate in Publishing, offers a range of courses on the editing, business, design, sales, marketing and publicity aspects of book publishing. I discovered Ryerson’s program when I graduated in 2012 with my Masters in History and was trying to figure out what my next step would be. After taking two courses, I was hooked and determined to work in publishing. I landed an internship at HarperCollins and a few months later started as Marketing Assistant!

Finally, Centennial College’s publishing program prepares students to work in a variety of positions in the industry, with hands-on education, practice publishing e-books, and offering them the chance to work on the bi-yearly On the Danforth magazine.

The publishing professionals and book lovers living in and around Toronto also get the chance to take part in some truly great events that celebrate Canadian and international authors. The Word On The Street is one of the Toronto’s literary scene’s most-anticipated events. The free annual outdoor festival promotes Canadian literacy with a variety of programing and activities for both adults and children. I’ve been lucky enough to run the HarperCollins Canada festival booth for the past three years, and it’s the event that I most look forward to all year. It’s an incredible thing to see people of all ages excited about books and literature, and to actually get to talk to people in person about what they’re currently reading! Since I mostly interact with readers online through the social media accounts I manage, this is definitely my favourite part of the festival.

The International Festival of Authors (IFOA) is another really exciting event that brings some of the world’s best authors to Toronto each fall for eleven days of readings, interviews, discussions, and signings. Over 8,500 authors from more than 100 countries have participated in IFOA, including Sherman Alexie, Junot Diaz, Margaret Atwood, Michael Cunningham, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Salman Rushdie. The event truly celebrates literature from around the world and offers readers the chance to engage with the finest literature of our time.

Then, of course, there’s the much-anticipated Book Lover’s Ball every February, where I once sat next to award-winning novelist Heather O’Neill, who I maintain is the single coolest author on the planet. There are also regular author readings and discussions at the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon, (which has featured the likes of Lena Dunham! And Judy Blume!), book launches, and so much more.

HarperCollins Canada 416-975-9334; firstname.lastname@harpercollins.com

Penguin Random House Canada 416-925-2249; firstinitiallastname@ca.penguinrandomhouse.com

House of Anansi 416-363-4343

Simon and Schuster Canada 647-427-8882

Kobo 416-977-8737; firstinitiallastname@kobo.com

Harlequin 416-445-5860; firstname_lastname@harlequin.ca

University of Toronto Press 416-978-2239; firstinitiallastname@utoronto.ca

ECW Press 416-694-3348; firstname@ecwpress.com

Coach House Books 416-979-2217; firstname@chbooks.com

Posted in Featured Articles, Trendsetter • Tagged Book Lover's Ball, Bram & Bluma Appel Salon, Centennial, Coach House Books, ECW Press, Harlequin, HarperCollins CA, Heather O'Neill, House of Anansi, Humber College, International Festival of Authors, Jhumpa Lahiri, Judy Blume, Junot Díaz, Kobo, lena dunham, Margaret Atwood, Michael Cunningham, On the Danforth, Penguin Random House Canada, Ryerson University, Salman Rushdie, Sherman Alexie, Simon and Schuster Cananda, Suman Seewat, Toronto Canada, University of Toronoto Press

People Round-Up, Early June 2015

By PT Editors

June 4, 2015

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PEOPLE

Catherine Makk joined HarperCollins as VP, Global Insight. She was Director, Retail and Consumer Insights at Vogue. Additionally, Allison Jarvela is now Senior Manager, Consumer insight. Previously, she was Market Research Analyst at Wiley.

Laura Owen joined Nieman Journalism Lab as Deputy Editor. She was previously Managing Editor of GigaOM.

Mark Kuyper was named Executive Director of Book Industry Study Group, effective June 15^th. He came from Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.

Chriscynethia Floyd joined David C Cook as VP, Sales and Marketing for Books and New Media, effective July 6^th. She is currently VP, Marketing, Trade for Harper Christian and VP of Marketing for Zonderkidz.

Terry Newell joined Insight Editions as Head of Sales and Marketing. Most recently, he was President of Weldon Owen.

Publisher of Cleis Press and Founder of Viva Editions Brenda Knight has left the company, citing irreconcilable differences with the new ownership, Start Publishing. The rest of the original staff resigned as well. Knight announced plans to launch an author-centered marketing consulting firm.

James Ernest is now Editor-in-Chief at Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing. He was Executive Editor at Baker Academic and Brazos Press.

Baker Publishing Group VP, Editorial Director Susan Allison will retire in July after 40 years in publishing.

Martin Barabas joined Regan Arts as Publicity Manager. He was most recently at Ingber & Associates Talent Agency as Associate.

Avalon Radys joined Inkshares as Marketing Manager. She was previously Editor-in-Chief at Umano.

In children’s publishing, Jessica Shoffel will join Little, Brown Books for Young Readers as Director of Publicity, leaving her current position as Associate Director of Publicity at Penguin Young Readers Group.

Publicists Kimberly Burns, Whitney Peeling, and Michael Taeckens have formed a full-service publicity group called Broadside: Expert Literary PR. They have previously worked for Random House, Perseus Books Group, and Graywolf, respectively.

Katharine Smalley Myers joined Little, Brown as Publicity Manager. She was previously Director of Sales at Princeton Architectural Press.

McKenna Jordan, the owner of independent bookshop Murder By the Book, was appointed to the newly created role, Publishing Consultant at Minotaur Books. The position will report to Associate Publisher Kelley Ragland. She will provide her expertise on the positioning, selling, and marketing of mysteries and crime fiction exclusively to Minotaur.

Sarah Knight left her position as Senior Editor at Simon & Schuster to launch Sarah Knight Books, which provides editorial, book doctoring, and ghost writing services.

Declan Taintor joined Picador as Senior Publicist. Previously, he was Publicist at powerhouse Books.

Ariel Lewiton joined Sarabande Books as Director of Marketing and Publicity. She is also Interviews Editor at Guernica Magazine.

Brad Woods joined VIZ Media as Chief Marketing Officer. He was SVP at DreamWorks Animation.

At literary agencies, Julie Barer, Faye Bender, Brettne Bloom, and Elisabeth Weed have teamed up to launch the full-service literary agency The Book Group. Rebecca Stead has also joined the agency as Agent. Anna Geller, Jenny Meyer, Caspian Dennis and Lora Fountain will act as Foreign Rights Agents. Bloom was previously Agent at Kneerim, Williams, & Bloom, which will revert to its previous name Kneerim & Williams. . . Amanda O’Connor will join Trident Media Group as Agent in mid-June. She was previously Editor at the discontinued Image Books imprint at Crown. . . Frances Coady joined Aragi Inc. as Literary Agent. She was formerly Publisher at Atavist Books and Picador. . . Moe Ferrara joined BookEnds Literary Agency as Literary Agent and Subsidiary Rights Director. Previously, she was Contracts Manager at The Guild Agency. . . Fuse Literary acquired Penumbra Literary. Penumbra Principal and Owner Jennifer Chen Tran joined Fuse as Associate Agent. . . Hannah Bowman, Senior Agent at Liza Dawson Associates, will open a West Coast office of the agency in August 2016.

Imani Mixon joined Sourcebooks as E-Commerce Copywriter/Storyteller. Ami Vanderhoof has also joined the company as Brand Marketing Manager, E-Commerce. She was Marketing Manager at Fannie May Confections Brands, Inc.

Sherrie Slopianka joined Humanix Books as Director of Publishing, replacing Andy Brown who was recently named COO of Humanix’s parent company, Newsmax Media. Slopianka was Executive Director of Online Sales at Worthy Publishing.

Neil Strandberg is now Director of Technology and Operations at Shelf Awareness. He was Director of Technology at the American Booksellers Association.

Alicia Simons joined Bibliomotion as Senior Director of Marketing. She was most recently Senior Consultant at Monaco Associates.

Debra Woodward is now Sales Manager at Red Wheel/Weiser. She was New England Rep at Candlewick Press.

Tobi Harper joined Red Hen Press as Development Associate.

Trent Hart joined Diversion Books & EverAfter Romance as Marketing Manager. He was previously Convention Coordinator at RT Booklovers Convention.

New York Times Book Critic Janet Maslin has switched from full-time to contributor, effective July 1^st.

Posted in Book View • Tagged 19th Annual International Conference on Electronic Publishing (Elpub), Alicia Simons, Allison Jarvela, Amanda O'Connor, American Booksellers Association, AMi Vanderhoof, Andy Brown, Anime Expo, Anna Geller, Aragi Inc., Ariel Lewiton, Atavist Books, Avalon Radys, Baker Academic, Baker Publishing Group, Barbara Slavin, Becca Smith, Bibliomotion, Book Industry Study Group, BookEnds Literary Agency, Brad Woods, Brazos Press, Brenda Knight, Brettne Bloom, Broadside: Expert Literary PR, Brown Books for Young Readers, Byron Parnell, Caitlin Mulrooney-Lyski, Candlewick Press, Caspian Dennis, Catherine Makk, CBA's International Christian Retail Show, Chriscynethia Floyd, Christine Catarino, Cleis Press, Comic-Con International: San Diego, Crown, david c. cook, Debra Woodward, Declan Taintor, Diversion Books, DreamWorks Animation, Dutton, Elisabeth Dyssegaard, Elisabeth Weed, Emily Brock, Emily Carleton, Emily Graff, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, EverAfter Romance, Fannie May Confections Brands Inc., Faye Bender, Festival at the Edge, Frances Coady, Fuse Literary, Gabrielle Gantz, GIGAOM, Grand Central, Graywolf, Griffin, Guernica Magazine, Hachette Book Group, Hannah Bowman, Harlem Book Fair, Harper Christian, HarperCollins, Humanix Books, Image Books, Imani Mixon, Ingber & Associates Talent Agency, Inkshares, Insight Editions, International New Age Trade Show, International Reading Association Annual Conference and Expo, James Ernest, James Johnston, James Patterson, Janet Maslin, Jennifer Chen Tran, Jenny Meyer, Jessica Shoffel, Jim Hanas, jimmy patterson, Julie Barer, Julie Hamilton, Karen Wolny, Kate Geraghty, Katharine Smalley Myers, Katie Parry, Kelley Ragland, Kimberly Burns, Kneerim & Williams, Kneerim Williams & Bloom, Kristen Radtke, Laura Owen, Licensing Expo, Lindsey Lochner, Little, Little Brown, Liza Dawson Associates, Lora Fountain, macmillan higher education, Macmillan New Ventures, Mark Kuyper, Martin Barabas, Mary Urban, McKenna Jordan, Michael Taeckens, Milena Alberti, Minotaur Books, Moe Ferrara, Monaco Associates, Murder by the Book, Neil Strandberg, Netgalley, New York Times, Newsmax Media, Nieman Journalism Lab, O'Reilly Open Source Convention (OSCON), Palgrave Macmillan, Penguin Young Readers Group, Penumbra Literary, Perseus Books Group, Picador, powerHouse Books, Princeton Architectural Press, Printers Row Lit Fest, Putnam, Random House, Reagan Arthur, Rebecca Stead, Red Hen Press, Red Wheel/Weiser, Regan Arts, Rich Tullis, Romance Writers of America Conference, RT Booklovers Convention, Sarabande Books, Sarah Knight, Sarah Knight Books, SCBWI's Annual Summer Conference, Shelf Awareness, Sherrie Slopianka, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, South African Book Fair, St. Martin's, Start Publishing, Stephanie Newton, Susan Allison, Terry Newell, The Book Group, The Guild Agency, Thrillerfest X, Tobi Harper, Tokyo International Book Fair (TIBF), Trent Hart, Trident Media Group, Umano, Viva Editions, VIZ Media, Vogue, Weldon Owen, Whitney Peeling, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Worthy Publishing, Zonderkidz

Parsing the BEA Buzz Panels

By Lorraine Shanley

June 2, 2015

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For many who attend BEA, the Editor’s Buzz Panel is a highlight. But, depending on whom you ask, that means Adult, Middle Grade, or Young Adult. (For those who haven’t done so, many book samples, including some buzz panel books, are available for download from Publishers Marketplace.

What are the differences between the three panels? A visit to each suggests one obvious dividing line: the Adult panel had an equal number of fiction and nonfiction books, six in all. The room was filled with a broad range of industry players, including editors and agents, but also many who have little to do with the content side of the business — and some who are no longer even in the business. It has reached the status where people say to one another “let’s meet at the Buzz Panel,” and the SRO crowd attested to that. The event, meanwhile, routinely runs past its 75 minute allocation, and this one was obviously no exception.

The YA and Middle Grade Buzz presentations were addressed to a room full of editors, agents, and what seemed like a lot more book retailers — all of whom seemed familiar with both the editors and their authors. It felt a little more clubby. The attitude of the panelists — several of whom were repeat presenters — was more that of first among equals. As well — and this goes for Middle Grade in particular — the humor (well, they are for middle graders) was very much in evidence.

What struck this attendee is how the story of how each book arrived on that particular editor’s desk is very similar for all books and all editors — but nevertheless, as one editor put it, familiar in that discovering the story you’ve never read before, is the moment when you know you’ve got a winner. Check out this year’s Buzz Books and the editors who presented them below:

Adult Buzz

Anna deVries, Senior Editor, Picador with Damon Tweedy’s Black Man in a White Coat: Reflections on Race and Medicine; Diana Tejerina Miller, Editor, Alfred A. Knopf with Garth Risk Hallberg’s City on Fire; Scott Moyers, Publisher, Penguin Press with Ottessa Moshfegh’s Eileen; Colin Dickerman, Editorial Director, Flatiron Books with Dan Marshall’s Home is Burning; Alison Callahan, Executive Editor, Scout Press with Ruth Ware’s In a Dark, Dark Wood; Deb Futter, Publisher of Twelve and Vice President, Editor-in-Chief, Hardcovers, Grand Central Publishing with Julie Checkoway’s The Three-Year Swim Club: The Untold Story of Maui’s Ditch Kids and their Quest for Olympic Glory.

YA Buzz

Laura Chasen, Assistant Editor, St. Martin’s Griffin with Marie Marquardt’s Dream Things True; Wendy Loggia, Executive Editor, Delacorte Press with Nicola Yoon’s Everything, Everything; Arianne Lewin, Executive Editor, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers with Jake Halpern’s and Peter Kujawinski’s Nightfall; Christian Trimmer, Senior Editor, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers with Daniel Kraus’ The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, Volume 1: At the Edge of Empire; Elizabeth Bewley, Executive Editor, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers with Estelle Laure’s This Raging Light.

Middle Grade

David Levithan, Editorial Director, Scholastic Press with Alex Gino’s George; Nancy Paulsen, Publisher, Nancy Paulsen Books with Lisa Lewis Tyre’s Last in a Long Line of Rebels; Martha Mihalick, Senior Editor, Greenwillow Books with Nicholas Gannon’s The Doldrums; Elise Howard, Publisher and Editor, Algonquin Young Readers with Adam Shaughnessy‘s The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable Fib; Andrea Spooner, Editor, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers with Ali Benjamin’s The Thing about Jellyfish.

Posted in Events • Tagged Adam Shaughnessy, Adult Buzz, Alex Gino, Algonquin Young Readers, Ali Benjamin, Alison Callahan, Andrea Spooner, Anna deVries, Arianne Lewin, BEA, BEA15, Black Man in a White Coat, Book Expo America, Chrstian Trimmer, City on Fire, Colin Dickerman, Damon Tweedy, Dan Marshall, Daniel Kraus, Dark Wood, David Levithan, Deb Futter, Delacorte Press, Diana Tejerina Miller, Dream Things True, Editor's Buzz Panel, Eileen, Elise Howard, Elizabeth Newly, Estelle Laure, Everything Everything, Flatiron Books, G. P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, Garth Risk Hallberg, George, Grand Central Publishing, Greenwillow Books, Home is Burning, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, In a Dark, Jake Halpern, Julie Checkoway, Knopf, Last in a Long Line of Rebels, Laura Chasen, Lisa Lewis Tyre, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Marie Marquadt, Martha Mihalick, Nancy Paulsen, Nancy Paulsen Books, Nicholas Gannon, Nicola Yoon, Nightfall, Ottessa Moshfegh, Penguin Press, Peter Kujawinski, Picador, Publishers Marketplace, Ruth Ware, Scholastic Press, Scott Moyers, Scout Press, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, St. Martin's Griffin, The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, The Doldrums, The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievably Fib, The Thing about Jellyfish, The Three-Year Swim Club, This Raging Light, Twelve, Wendy Loggia

Partners’ Corner: BEA 2015 Edition

By Amy Rhodes

June 2, 2015

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One of my key takeaways from conversations and panels at BEA is the necessary degree of paranoia that publishers feel as they face new selling models in a digital world. The bottom line at the panel on subscription offers is that publishers and authors make the same amount if their book is read as part of a subscription offering that they do if it is bought as an individual title. So the question becomes, why would anyone care which approach is used?

And the answer is a familiar one…especially if you think back to the early days of Amazon.

Back then, publishers sold at traditional wholesale terms and Amazon took the hit if they decided to offer the book at a discount. Sales went up; publishers did very well — and everyone worried. Why? Because it seemed clear that sooner or later, the boom would fall and publishers’ margins would be negatively affected.

And the boom fell.

So the same fears seem to be at issue with the new subscription model. How can an Oyster or Scribd continue to pay publishers fully if users are getting unlimited books for a low monthly fee? There are no guarantees of how long publishers will be paid in full, and if consumers become accustomed to spending only $8.99 a month for their reading, and if single book sales subsequently weaken (think music industry), publishers may be at the mercy of subscription companies’ new terms.

So the debate rages between addressing consumers’ desire for content at good prices and the economics of the business…and maybe it’s time for publishers to look at the numbers from a different point of view.

For the last 3 or 4 years, publishers have reported improved profits due to the impact of the higher margins that digital publishing affords. Given the lack of inventory and returns, the effect of converting 20-30% of sales to digital has had an impact that would have been a pure fantasy less than 10 years ago. So yes, publishers needed this vast improvement to overcome other increased expenses and waste, but perhaps it’s time to think of the extra margin as means to support new sales streams in the interest of broader marketing. What if people did start to consume books through monthly subscriptions? Would more people read? Would there be a hunger for a new title so if publisher chose to window for a short time, the individual sales would go up? Would there be other benefits in terms of awareness of books among the average consumer? Now that television and video have shown that subscription models can spur improved quality, they have become a far more respected and accepted art forms. Could books gain ground in a similar way, if access and price were more in line with other entertainments?

Posted in Partners' Corner • Tagged Amazon, Amy Rhodes, BEA, Book Expo America, oyster, Partners' Corner, sales, Scribd, subscription service

International Bestsellers, May 2015

By Samantha Howard

June 1, 2015

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Every month, Publishing Trends runs fiction international bestsellers lists from four territories–France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. This month, our four regular territories are joined by two more: Romania and South Korea. Those books that have been published in English are listed with their official English-language title. All others are translated as literally as possible from the original. Where applicable, the US publisher is listed after the local publisher, separated by a “/”. The lists are taken from major newspapers or national retailers, which are noted at the bottom of each list.