Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 4/20-4/24

number_5_redEvery week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.

International Publishers created an infographic for World Book Day highlighting children’s reading habits.

Bookwire predicts that digital sales in Latin America will rise 10-15% of digital purchases globally by 2020.

American Education Research Association released several studies this week on digital reading in the classroom.

According to a recent study of adults in China, reading digitally is more popular than reading print books.

Will selling direct-to-consumer actually drive profits for publishers?

Publishing Trends Annual Contact Sheet 2015

The 2015 general US publishing industry contact sheet is our most popular annual feature, listing publishers large and small, accounts, trade associations, and more. Taking into account mergers, acquisitions, and new additions, we are proud to offer our most comprehensive updated version as a free PDF. Click the image below to download the Publishing Trends Annual Contact Sheet 2015.

Annual Contact Sheet 2015

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 4/13-4/17

number_5_redEvery week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.

Why do readers love the serial novel?

The ALA released an infographic about the most challenged books in public institutions in 2014.

Has publishing become a civil war between self-publishers and traditional?

Does Penguin Random House’s audiobook deals with Scribd and Mofibo signify its first step toward embracing subscription services for its ebooks?

Why are some audio stories so compelling?

Editor’s Note: Looking for an office in Manhattan? Market Partners International currently has a space available in its office near Grand Central Terminal. For more information, please email info@marketpartnersinternational.com.

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 4/6-4/10

number_5_redEvery week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.

What changes could be made to print books to ease digitization?

Does the average reader notice when Amazon gets into a dispute with a major publisher?

The 2014 Vida Count shows that literary criticism continues to be dominated by males.

Should publishers limit the amount of translated fiction they publish?

Ebook sales have evened out for now, but will they stay that way?

Editor’s note: An update was added to the promotions section of our People Round-Up, Early April 2015 post.

People Round-Up, Early April 2015

An update was added to the promotions section of the original post on 4/10/15.

Editor’s Note: Looking for an office in Manhattan? Market Partners International currently has a space available in its office near Grand Central Terminal. For more information, please email info@marketpartnersinternational.com.

PEOPLE

Jeannie Mun joined Oyster as CFO.  She was previously CFO at the technology company MediaMath.  Additionally, Barry McCarthy joined as Advisor.  He was previously CFO at Netflix.

The Book Industry Study Group Executive Director Len Vlahos resigned, effective June 12th.  He and his wife Kristen Gilligan will join the Senior Management Team of the Tattered Cover bookstores, acquiring controlling interest of the business over the next two years from current Owner Joyce Meskis¸ who plans to retire when Vlahos and Gilligan take over.

Tom Reale is now COO at Brown Books Publishing Group. Most recently, he was VP, Special Projects at Academic Partnerships.

Alex Merrill joined Skyhorse Publishing in the newly created role of COO. Most recently, he was Group Publisher at Morris Media Network.

Jeanne-Marie Hudson is now VP, Director of Marketing at Berkley/NAL.  She was previously Senior Director, Marketing Communications and Audience Development at St. Martin’s Press.

Lynn Cully returned to Kensington as Director of Sales.  She previously held the positions of Sales Director and Publisher at the company from 1990-2000.

Luke Dempsey is now Executive Editor at HarperOne.  Previously, he was Nonfiction Editorial Director at Ballantine.

Yulia Borodyanskaya is now Rights Director, Subsidiary and Foreign at Abrams Books. Previously, she was Director, International Rights at McGraw-Hill Education.

Susan Reich retired from her position as President at Publishers Group West on March 31st.  She can be reached at susanreich@gmail.com.

At literary agencies, Eric Myers joined Dystel & Goderich Literary Management as Agent.  Previously, he was Agent at Spieler Agency.  He will be bringing his client list with him. . . Maria Ribas joined Stonesong as Agent for Nonfiction.  She was previously Agent at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. Leila Campoli also joined Stonesong as an Agent, specializing in nonfiction.  She was previously Editor at Palgrave Macmillan. . . Alli Brydon joined Bright Group Inc. as Managing Agent.  Previously, she was Senior Editor at Sterling Children’s Books. . . Stephanie Abou joined Lippincott Massie McQuilkin as Agent.  She was formerly at Foundry.

Christine Foltzer joined Tor.com as Associate Art Director.  Previously, she was Assistant Art Director at Hachette.

In children’s publishing, Jennifer Besel joined Black Rabbit Books as Associate Publisher.  She was previously Senior Editor at Capstone. . . Alix Reid is now Executive Editor at Carolrhoda Books and Carolrhoda Lab, overseeing a list of titles acquired from Egmont USA.  Reid was Interim Editor-at-Large at Lerner. . .Kristin Carder joined Klutz as Editor.  She was Designer and Illustrator at Braid CreativeVicky Eva has also joined Klutz as Senior Sourcing Specialist.  Formerly, Eva was Senior Vendor Account Manager at One Kings Lane.

Nadea Mina joined Open Road Integrated Media as Senior Publicist.  She was formerly Senior Publicist at St. Martin’s Press.

Faith Black Ross joined Severn House as Acquiring Editor.  She was formerly an Editor at Berkley.

Kyle Duncan is now VP, Publisher of Books and Media at David C Cook.  Most recently, he was Principal of the publishing consulting firm Scriptorium.

Emily Williams is now Manager, Publisher Relations at educational non-profit Expeditionary Learning.  She was previously Manager, Digital Content at Nook.

Read More »

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 3/30-4/3

number_5_redEvery week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.

We Need Diverse Books released its annual report.

A new Nielsen survey about consumers’ buying habits found that ebook sales increased slightly in 2014, but sales through online retailers and bookstore chains decreased.

Is the Clean Reader application a form of censorship?

Why is crowdfunding gaining popularity and what are the different platforms using it?

Publishing Perspectives and Publishing Technology released a white paper about how Millennials consume content.

International Bestsellers, March 2015

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: Austria and Israel. 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.

BestsellerMar2015.France

 

 

BestsellerMar2015Germany2

 

 

BestsellerMar2015 Italy

 

BestsellerMar2015.Spain

 

 

BestsellerAustriaMar20152

BestsellerMar2015Israel

 

 

Literary Partay: Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival

The 29th annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival took place March 25-29, with a banner roster of attendees and speakers, including John Waters, Roy Blount Jr., Rick Bragg, Joe Kanon and John Patrick Shanley.  (Laura Lippman missed this year, as she was sick.)

One of the festival’s literary lions was John Lahr, whose biography of Williams came out last year.  In his seventies, Lahr announced to the SRO crowd that gathered to hear him talk: “It took fifty years just to learn how to write.”

The four day event strikes a balance between Williams adulation, New Orleans boosterism,  and celebration of all things bookish – including a panel on “The New New Publishing: Navigating the Industry Right Now.”  When asked what a publisher should do for his authors, Bill Lavender, who founded Lavender Ink and Dialogos, said “Ask not what your publisher can do for you. . .,” which elicited knowing laughter from the fellow panelists and the audience.  The other panelists – authors and indie publishers – talked of how sales in the four and five figures made the prospect of agented books – or even advances — unlikely. Still they were passionate about helping their books find an audience, and author and publisher Radclyffe remarked on how much easier it is when you’re in a category (in her case LGBT) small enough to know all the players.

There were also a lot of theatrical events, including a staging of the winner of the one-act play contest, and a one man show in which Joel Vig played Truman Capote talking of his friendship with Tennessee Williams.

The Festival also attracts aspiring writers with its Master Classes where authors and agents are on hand; and academics, who come for its Scholars Conference, hosted by English professor and Williams scholar, Robert Bray. It’s surely one of the few literary festivals that includes in its lineup the editor of the NYTBR (Pamela Paul), a recipient of the National Medal of Arts for his music (Allen Toussaint); the president of  Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours (Ron Drez); a PhD in linguistics-turned- author (Laila Lalami); a Mad Men actor (Bryan Batt), and a Pulitzer prize winning journalist, with the Times-Picayune staff, for his coverage of Katrina (Ted Jackson).  That’s New Orleans for you.

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 3/23-3/27

number_5_redEvery week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.

A new study shows millennial readers prefer reading print books to digital books.

Book Riot surveyed their readers to find out their reading habits in 2014.

Should rights requests go through a digital platform, or continue to be handled by hand?

Is modern fiction against friendships?

Will cell phones begin recommending content to users?

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 3/16-3/20

number_5_redEvery week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.

Are virtual reality bookstores the next step for retailers who are competing in an on-demand world?

Will Chinese translations find success in the North and South American marketplace?

Can Amazon be both a friend and foe to publishers?

What can publishers do to help literary fiction get noticed?

Can ebooks and print books become companions instead of competitors?

Bonus Video: What do technology trends indicate for the futures of  Amazon, FacebookGoogle, and Apple, according to a lecture from NYU Professor Scott Galloway?

Editors’ note: Don’t forget about Publishing Trends’ free contact sheets. From literary scouts to publishers, these annually updated resources are to help you be in contact with people throughout the industry.