Tag Archives: Random House

Miffy’s On the Make

There may have been no mega-hit property at this year’s Licensing 2002 International show — notwithstanding the media hootenanny over Lemony Snicket — but even in this somewhat gun-shy climate, which saw licensing industry retail sales dip 4% last year, deals were being dialed up at the Javits Center on June 11-13. First in line,…Continue Reading

A Passage to India?

Move over, Rushdie. That’s the message emanating from bustling Hyderabad, India, anyway, where a gang of literati recently met to ponder the bullish future of publishing in this nation that boasts an apparently fast-growing appetite for English-language books. Though only 2% of its population is capable of reading and writing in English, those 18 million…Continue Reading

Pixie Dust at Stationery Show

The message from last week’s gargantuan National Stationery Show — all 270,000 square feet of it, sprawled over New York’s Javits Center from May 19-22 — was a gold-embossed, watermarked greeting card carrying that shopworn mantra: content is king. Well, this time around content was king, as an estimated 15,000 buyers seemed to breeze right…Continue Reading

Price and Prejudice

As Riggio Guns for Lower Prices, There’s No Sure Cure for Sticker Shock Pantyhose, Len Riggio once said, lecturing publishers on the finer price points for L’eggs, sell blissfully at $6.99. But books are not leggings. And if publishers think $6.99 is a good price for the upscale products in bookstores, they’re hosed. Moreover, he…Continue Reading

Distribution Daybook

This year Publishing Trends abandoned its vendor survey, because trying to rate players in the fulfillment and distribution arena was like trying to judge a warehouse full of Rube Goldberg contraptions — there are too many moving pieces, and they all move in different (some might say mysterious) ways. But one thing is certain: they…Continue Reading

Book View, June 2002

PEOPLE Harcourt reports that Laurie Brown has been hired as SVP, Director of Trade Sales and Marketing for Adult and Juvenile Publishing. She formerly held that position at FSG. Lori Benton rejoins Harcourt as VP Publisher of Children’s Books, replacing Louise Pelan, who has taken early retirement. She comes from Holt, where she was Associate…Continue Reading

All Accolades at PNBA

There were 11% fewer exhibitors compared to last year at the spring Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association show in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. But business was reportedly brisk on the floor, with a sense of community in full flower this year. The festive mood in the air no doubt sprung from the presentation of the PNBA Awards,…Continue Reading

Dial-A-Rep

As Field Sales Forces Retreat, Will Telereps Take Up the Slack? Opened nearly a quarter-century ago, Auntie’s Bookstore is a solid fixture on the corner of Main and Washington Streets in downtown Spokane, Washington, a bustling burg of almost 200,000 that boasts the largest book-buying population between Seattle and Minneapolis. Judging by the number of…Continue Reading

Book View, May 2002

PEOPLE Paul Gottlieb has been named Executive Director of the Aperture Foundation. He leaves Abrams after 22 years, during which time he held the titles of Publisher, President, CEO, and most recently, Company Director and Vice Chairman of the La Martiniere Groupe. He begins August 1. Brigitte Weeks is leaving Guideposts to become Vice President…Continue Reading

London Times

The London Book Fair has, like its sister Reed-sponsored show, BEA, extended its dates in recent years. This year’s expo was two-and-a-half days long, but with the accompanying ebook and subrights conferences, ended up sprawling from March 14th to the 19th. The conferences had a tough time pulling the crowds that LBF continues to pack…Continue Reading