G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS APPOINTS
MARYSUE RUCCI EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
NEW YORK, NY/AUTHORLIN NEWS/January 29, 2010--Marysue Rucci has been named Vice President, Editorial Director for G. P. Putnam’s Sons, it was announced today by Ivan Held, President of G. P. Putnam’s Sons. Ms. Rucci comes from Simon & Schuster, where she built a strong list of commercial and literary writers and was most recently Vice President, Executive Editor. At Putnam, her primary responsibilities will be to build her own roster of authors and to help the Putnam imprint acquire and develop new bestselling franchises both in fiction and nonfiction.
Ms. Rucci will report to Mr. Held and her appointment is effective March 15, 2010.
Mr. Held said, “Marysue’s reputation precedes her. She is a terrific editor and will be a great addition to the talented Putnam team. We are looking forward to having her apply her instincts and editorial acumen to help further build our list of bestselling authors.”
Ms. Rucci said, “I am excited to work with the terrific team assembled at Putnam. I’ve long admired Putnam’s commitment to its authors as well as its innovative and aggressive publishing campaigns.”
Ms. Rucci has built a reputation for having an acute eye for great writing talent as well as being a hardworking editor able to help her authors immeasurably on the page. New York Times-bestselling authors she has worked with include Jeffrey Deaver, Lauren Weisberger, A.J. Jacobs, Sandra Brown, Jan Burke, and Lisa Lutz. She also edited the critically acclaimed New York Times-bestselling and Costa-nominated Little Bee by Chris Cleave, the Costa Award-winning The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney, the New York Times-bestselling memoir If I Am Missing or Dead by Janine Latus, and Helene Cooper’s New York Times-bestselling House at Sugar Beach, which was a Starbucks pick and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist.
During her 13-year tenure at Simon & Schuster, she also edited such bestselling authors as Hunter S. Thompson and Gigi Levangie Grazer.
Ms. Rucci is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied English and Creative Writing, and she attended the Radcliffe Publishing Course.
The Amy Einhorn Books and Marian Wood Books imprints--which reside at Putnam--will remain separate and continue to report directly to Mr. Held, as will Putnam’s publisher and editor in chief Neil Nyren.
G. P. Putnam’s Sons is the industry’s #1 New York Times bestselling hardcover imprint, a position it has held for more than two decades. In 2009, Putnam achieved 34 New York Times hardcover bestsellers for the year.
Putnam's is a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., the U.S. member of the internationally Penguin Group. Penguin Group (USA) is one of the leading U.S. adult and children's trade book publishers, owning a wide range of imprints and trademarks, including Viking, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, The Penguin Press, Riverhead Books, Dutton, Penguin Books, Berkley Books, Gotham Books, Portfolio, New American Library, Plume, Tarcher, Philomel, Grosset & Dunlap, Puffin, and Frederick Warne, among others. The Penguin Group (http://www.penguin.com) is part of Pearson plc, the international media company.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
J.D. Salinger Dead at 91
J. D. Salinger, who at one time was hailed as the most important American writer to emerge since World War II, has died at age 91 in Cornish, N.H., where he lived in seclusion for more than 50 years. The New York Times report said Salinger's son had informed the media of his death.
Salinger, author of "Catcher in the Rye," "Franny and Zooey," Raise High the Roof Beam, and other works, had always spurred his fame and success.
Salinger, author of "Catcher in the Rye," "Franny and Zooey," Raise High the Roof Beam, and other works, had always spurred his fame and success.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Borders Head Departs Amid Rumblings of Debt Problems
BORDERS HEAD DEPARTS AMID RUMBLINGS OF DEBT PROBLEM
ANN ARBOR, Mich./Authorlink News/January 26, 2010--Borders Group Board Chairman Mick McGuire today announced that Ron Marshall has resigned as President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of the company, effective immediately. Marshall has accepted the role of Chief Executive Officer with another publicly held retailer, but will assist Borders in the process of transitioning to new leadership.
Only a week ago, Borders issued a statement debunking a debtwire.com article that claimed Borders has extended the length of time it takes to pay its small publisher vendors by 40%. Borders stated the article was inaccurate and that the company continues to pay vendors in a timely manner. Borders also said detwire's assertion that the bookseller had hired the bankruptcy group of Lowenstein Sandler as legal counsel is incorrect.
This week, the company has named Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer Michael J. Edwards Interim Chief Executive Officer. Edwards, 49, is a 26-year retail veteran with CEO experience who joined Borders in September 2009 and has been leading the merchandising and marketing teams. As Interim Chief Executive Officer, Edwards will report to McGuire. In addition, the company’s Board of Directors has retained Korn/Ferry International to lead the search for a permanent CEO.
“Borders appreciates Ron’s contributions during his tenure with the company,” said McGuire. “In 2009, he and Chief Financial Officer Mark Bierley helped Borders make substantial operational and financial improvements that are driving increased cash flow, reducing debt and positioning Borders to pursue new growth opportunities, including recently announced partnerships to provide high-quality digital content for the industry’s next generation of e-Reading devices. Mike Edwards is the right person to take on this responsibility at this time given his experiences as a CEO and proven track record of successfully repositioning and growing specialty retail businesses. Since joining Borders, he has distinguished himself as a collaborative leader with a strong commitment to revitalizing the Borders brand and a focus on driving traffic and profitable sales. We are pleased to have Mike in place along with Mark Bierley and his finance team, who continue to lead the effort of reducing expenses, improving margins and focusing on prudent capital allocation to drive cash flow.”
“We have a clear commitment to drive the top line at Borders Group and there will be no interruption of our strategic plans and efforts to focus with great energy and determination on this goal during the transition,” said Edwards. “Along with Mark Bierley and the rest of the leadership team, I look forward to continuing momentum in this direction while we remain disciplined on the bottom line, where we have made significant progress over the past several months. I am confident this will be a smooth transition and appreciate the continued support of all of our partners and associates.”
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group, Inc. is a leading specialty retailer of books as well as other educational and entertainment items. The company employs approximately 25,000 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders(R) and Waldenbooks(R) stores. Online shopping is offered through borders.com.
ANN ARBOR, Mich./Authorlink News/January 26, 2010--Borders Group Board Chairman Mick McGuire today announced that Ron Marshall has resigned as President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of the company, effective immediately. Marshall has accepted the role of Chief Executive Officer with another publicly held retailer, but will assist Borders in the process of transitioning to new leadership.
Only a week ago, Borders issued a statement debunking a debtwire.com article that claimed Borders has extended the length of time it takes to pay its small publisher vendors by 40%. Borders stated the article was inaccurate and that the company continues to pay vendors in a timely manner. Borders also said detwire's assertion that the bookseller had hired the bankruptcy group of Lowenstein Sandler as legal counsel is incorrect.
This week, the company has named Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer Michael J. Edwards Interim Chief Executive Officer. Edwards, 49, is a 26-year retail veteran with CEO experience who joined Borders in September 2009 and has been leading the merchandising and marketing teams. As Interim Chief Executive Officer, Edwards will report to McGuire. In addition, the company’s Board of Directors has retained Korn/Ferry International to lead the search for a permanent CEO.
“Borders appreciates Ron’s contributions during his tenure with the company,” said McGuire. “In 2009, he and Chief Financial Officer Mark Bierley helped Borders make substantial operational and financial improvements that are driving increased cash flow, reducing debt and positioning Borders to pursue new growth opportunities, including recently announced partnerships to provide high-quality digital content for the industry’s next generation of e-Reading devices. Mike Edwards is the right person to take on this responsibility at this time given his experiences as a CEO and proven track record of successfully repositioning and growing specialty retail businesses. Since joining Borders, he has distinguished himself as a collaborative leader with a strong commitment to revitalizing the Borders brand and a focus on driving traffic and profitable sales. We are pleased to have Mike in place along with Mark Bierley and his finance team, who continue to lead the effort of reducing expenses, improving margins and focusing on prudent capital allocation to drive cash flow.”
“We have a clear commitment to drive the top line at Borders Group and there will be no interruption of our strategic plans and efforts to focus with great energy and determination on this goal during the transition,” said Edwards. “Along with Mark Bierley and the rest of the leadership team, I look forward to continuing momentum in this direction while we remain disciplined on the bottom line, where we have made significant progress over the past several months. I am confident this will be a smooth transition and appreciate the continued support of all of our partners and associates.”
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group, Inc. is a leading specialty retailer of books as well as other educational and entertainment items. The company employs approximately 25,000 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders(R) and Waldenbooks(R) stores. Online shopping is offered through borders.com.
Monday, January 25, 2010
HarperCollins Expands Digital Strategy With Inkpop
NEW YORK, NY/AUTHORLINK NEWS/January 25, 2010--HarperCollins Publishers has broadened its digital publishing initiative with the launch this week of inkpop (www.inkpop.com). The company calls it the first interactive writing platform for teens to be backed by a major U.S. publisher. Inkpop, created by HarperTeen to attract young readers and writers, combines community publishing, user-generated content, and social networking to connect rising stars in teen literature with talent-spotting readers and publishing professionals.
The launch of inkpop is the next step in the company's overall digital strategy designed to build and expand its direct-to-consumer business. Inkpop will be the anchor of HarperCollins's ongoing teen strategy, enabling the company to have a continuous dialogue directly with its audience to determine what the community cares about, as well as an unfiltered look at what's in and what's out.
"As with all of our online consumer programs, the concept of community-building is aligned with our ongoing corporate digital marketing efforts to cultivate a two-way dialogue with our readers," says Susan Katz, President and Publisher of HarperCollins Children's Books. "Inkpop provides us with an interactive platform to engage directly with our audience, encourage a passion for writing, and discover new trends and opportunities in this growing and important community."
Katz adds, "Teens are a key consumer group with significant financial impact. Teen fiction is one of the most robust and fastest-growing categories in publishing today."
"Across our business we are looking to build consumer reach and engagement," says Charlie Redmayne, HarperCollins Chief Digital Officer. "Inkpop is the latest iteration of these direct-to- consumer efforts this time for the teen market."
Since its soft launch in 4th quarter 2009, inkpop already has more than 10,000 members and nearly 11,000 submissions, including novels, poems, essays, and short stories. The visitors are teens ages 13 and older, from 109 different countries and territories. Additionally, it has engaged a select group of international HarperCollins editors and authors to review the site's top five monthly selections, providing invaluable feedback and mentorship opportunities to the young authors, while also considering their work for publication.
"What sets inkpop apart from other writing communities is the Editorial Board," says Kat Musallam, an inkpop user. "Other communities only have that writer-reader interaction, but to have a panel evaluate your work is something that we writers—especially those who aren't so familiar with the publishing world—can only dream of."
Carolyn Mackler, author of Tangled and the Printz-Honor book, The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things says, "I would have loved to have a community like inkpop when I was a teenager. I desperately wanted to connect with people who liked reading and writing, to compare notes on a character or maybe even not feel so alone with all my words and thoughts. So as an author, it was a huge treat to be able to chat with my teen readers during an inkpop forum event. The inkpoppers came out in droves, with major enthusiasm and loads of questions."
HarperCollins will announce partnerships throughout the year that will further enrich the inkpop community experience for teen members. As inkpop evolves in the months ahead, this exciting community will continue to expand and encompass other formats such as photography, video and artwork sharing in order to enhance inkpop projects and promote additional forms of creativity.
HarperCollins has launched several successful digital initiatives designed to engage consumers globally including Book Army, Authonomy, Browse Inside and Full Access. The company was also the first publisher to digitize its content to create a global digital warehouse across all divisions with capabilities to distribute digital content to retail partners, search partners, online partners and consumers, making the company uniquely positioned to create and sustain this type of community.
HarperCollins, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world, is a subsidiary of News Corporation ( NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups around the world including the HarperCollins General Books Group, HarperCollins Children's Books Group, Zondervan, HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand and HarperCollins India.
The launch of inkpop is the next step in the company's overall digital strategy designed to build and expand its direct-to-consumer business. Inkpop will be the anchor of HarperCollins's ongoing teen strategy, enabling the company to have a continuous dialogue directly with its audience to determine what the community cares about, as well as an unfiltered look at what's in and what's out.
"As with all of our online consumer programs, the concept of community-building is aligned with our ongoing corporate digital marketing efforts to cultivate a two-way dialogue with our readers," says Susan Katz, President and Publisher of HarperCollins Children's Books. "Inkpop provides us with an interactive platform to engage directly with our audience, encourage a passion for writing, and discover new trends and opportunities in this growing and important community."
Katz adds, "Teens are a key consumer group with significant financial impact. Teen fiction is one of the most robust and fastest-growing categories in publishing today."
"Across our business we are looking to build consumer reach and engagement," says Charlie Redmayne, HarperCollins Chief Digital Officer. "Inkpop is the latest iteration of these direct-to- consumer efforts this time for the teen market."
Since its soft launch in 4th quarter 2009, inkpop already has more than 10,000 members and nearly 11,000 submissions, including novels, poems, essays, and short stories. The visitors are teens ages 13 and older, from 109 different countries and territories. Additionally, it has engaged a select group of international HarperCollins editors and authors to review the site's top five monthly selections, providing invaluable feedback and mentorship opportunities to the young authors, while also considering their work for publication.
"What sets inkpop apart from other writing communities is the Editorial Board," says Kat Musallam, an inkpop user. "Other communities only have that writer-reader interaction, but to have a panel evaluate your work is something that we writers—especially those who aren't so familiar with the publishing world—can only dream of."
Carolyn Mackler, author of Tangled and the Printz-Honor book, The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things says, "I would have loved to have a community like inkpop when I was a teenager. I desperately wanted to connect with people who liked reading and writing, to compare notes on a character or maybe even not feel so alone with all my words and thoughts. So as an author, it was a huge treat to be able to chat with my teen readers during an inkpop forum event. The inkpoppers came out in droves, with major enthusiasm and loads of questions."
HarperCollins will announce partnerships throughout the year that will further enrich the inkpop community experience for teen members. As inkpop evolves in the months ahead, this exciting community will continue to expand and encompass other formats such as photography, video and artwork sharing in order to enhance inkpop projects and promote additional forms of creativity.
HarperCollins has launched several successful digital initiatives designed to engage consumers globally including Book Army, Authonomy, Browse Inside and Full Access. The company was also the first publisher to digitize its content to create a global digital warehouse across all divisions with capabilities to distribute digital content to retail partners, search partners, online partners and consumers, making the company uniquely positioned to create and sustain this type of community.
HarperCollins, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world, is a subsidiary of News Corporation ( NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups around the world including the HarperCollins General Books Group, HarperCollins Children's Books Group, Zondervan, HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand and HarperCollins India.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Borders Debunks Media Reports of Debt Woes
ANN ARBOR, MICH./AUTHORLINK NEWS/January 22, 2010—In response to an article that originally appeared January 15 on debtwire.com, Borders Group today released the following:
“The debtwire.com article includes inaccurate information. Specifically, it claimed Borders has extended the length of time it takes to pay its small publisher vendors by 40%. This is inaccurate. In fact, Borders has continued to pay its vendors in a timely manner, has not lengthened its days to pay, and has not been contacted by a group of publishers as alleged. Product is flowing to our stores for sale to customers. In fact, we have significantly increased book inventory in the fourth quarter compared to last year, a sign that we have continued to receive support from the vendor community. It is also important to note that we have not been contacted by any law firms allegedly retained to represent a small group of publishers. Today it was reported that the law firm of Lowenstein Sandler issued the following regarding the debtwire.com article: ‘The statement in the article that a group of smaller publishers had hired the bankruptcy group of Lowenstein Sandler as legal counsel is incorrect.’
“Overall, Borders Group continues to focus on running our business, including recently announced digital book partnerships with Kobo and Spring Design that position the company to be a high quality content provider of eBooks. We also continue to focus on reducing expenses and improving working capital to drive improved cash flow and debt reduction as we address the clear priority to drive profitable sales.”
About Borders Group
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP) is a leading specialty retailer of books as well as other educational and entertainment items. The company employs approximately 25,000 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders® and Waldenbooks® stores. Online shopping is offered through borders.com. Find author interviews and vibrant discussions of the products we and our customers are passionate about online at facebook.com/borders, twitter.com/borders and youtube.com/bordersmedia. For more information about the company, visit borders.com/media.
“The debtwire.com article includes inaccurate information. Specifically, it claimed Borders has extended the length of time it takes to pay its small publisher vendors by 40%. This is inaccurate. In fact, Borders has continued to pay its vendors in a timely manner, has not lengthened its days to pay, and has not been contacted by a group of publishers as alleged. Product is flowing to our stores for sale to customers. In fact, we have significantly increased book inventory in the fourth quarter compared to last year, a sign that we have continued to receive support from the vendor community. It is also important to note that we have not been contacted by any law firms allegedly retained to represent a small group of publishers. Today it was reported that the law firm of Lowenstein Sandler issued the following regarding the debtwire.com article: ‘The statement in the article that a group of smaller publishers had hired the bankruptcy group of Lowenstein Sandler as legal counsel is incorrect.’
“Overall, Borders Group continues to focus on running our business, including recently announced digital book partnerships with Kobo and Spring Design that position the company to be a high quality content provider of eBooks. We also continue to focus on reducing expenses and improving working capital to drive improved cash flow and debt reduction as we address the clear priority to drive profitable sales.”
About Borders Group
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP) is a leading specialty retailer of books as well as other educational and entertainment items. The company employs approximately 25,000 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders® and Waldenbooks® stores. Online shopping is offered through borders.com. Find author interviews and vibrant discussions of the products we and our customers are passionate about online at facebook.com/borders, twitter.com/borders and youtube.com/bordersmedia. For more information about the company, visit borders.com/media.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Amazon Ups Author Royalties on Some Kindle Books
NEW YORK, NY/AUTHORLINK NEWS/January 20, 2010—Amazon.com announced this week that it will increase royalties for authors and publishers for books sold on the Kindle e-book reader. Effective June 30, authors and publishers will earn 70 percent of a book’s list price, less delivery costs. The new royalty rate is limited to e-books priced between $2.99 and $9.99 and to those titles whose list price is 20 percent below the lowest price for the physical book.
The popular Kindle reader faces increasing competition from Barnes & Noble’s and Sony’s e-reader devices.
Authors usually earn about 25 percent of net revenues from digital sales and about 7 to 15 percent of the suggested retail price of a printed book. Amazon did not reveal its current royalty rates for books considered for its new program, but the new rate appears to be well above current royalty earnings, and more attractive than most other online retailers offer.
The popular Kindle reader faces increasing competition from Barnes & Noble’s and Sony’s e-reader devices.
Authors usually earn about 25 percent of net revenues from digital sales and about 7 to 15 percent of the suggested retail price of a printed book. Amazon did not reveal its current royalty rates for books considered for its new program, but the new rate appears to be well above current royalty earnings, and more attractive than most other online retailers offer.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
AAP Sees Holiday Book Sales Gains, Others Show Declines
NEW YORK, NY/AUTHORLINK NEWS/January 18, 2010—Book sales for the month of November 2009 increased by 10.9 per cent at $808.5 million and increased by 4.9 percent for the year, The Association of American Publishers (AAP) reports.
In surveying recent book sales reports, Authorlink.com is somewhat skeptical of the AAP increases considering reported losses at the nation’s two largest booksellers and a drop in unit sales. Barnes & Noble this month reported a 5% decrease in store sales over the nine-week holiday from November 1,2009 to January 2, 2010. And Borders Group reported a 13.7% decline for the 11-weeek holiday period ended January 16, 2010 (see Authorlink January 21News edition). In addition, Nielsen BookScan this month reported a drop of 3% in overall unit sales of books through December 2009. Different reporting methods and periods can account for some, but not all, of the differences in numbers. A more detailed analysis from the AAP as to what sales channels are generating increases might be useful.
The AAP also reported that the Adult Hardcover category rose 26.9 percent in November with sales of $204.4 million; year-to-date sales rose 6.7 percent. Adult Paperback sales decreased by 3.0 percent for the month ($92.3 million) and were down by 4.8 percent for the year. The Adult Mass Market category declined by 9.8 percent for November with sales totaling $53.2 million; sales were down by 1.1 percent year-to-date. The Children’s/YA Hardcover category decreased by 13.5 percent for the month with sales of $63.9 million, but sales for year-to-date were up by 3.0 percent. The Children’s/YA Paperback category increased by 1.0 percent in November with sales totaling $43.9 million; sales were also up by 4.1 percent for the year.
Audio Book sales posted an increase of 6.9 percent in November with sales totaling $18.4 million; sales to-date decreased by 14.9 percent. E-books sales reached $18.3 million, reflecting a 199.9 percent jump for November and a 185.2 percent increase year to-date. Religious Books saw a 0.0% change for the month with sales of $48.7 million, although sales were down by 9.7 percent for the year.
Sales of University Press Hardcover books reflected a 21.9 percent increase in November with sales of $5.4 million; sales decreased by 4.2 percent for the year. University Press Paperback sales posted an increase of 2.7 percent for the month with sales totaling $4.2 million; sales were down 1.8 percent for the year. Sales in the Professional and Scholarly category were also up by 2.7 percent in November ($57.1 million) but decreased by 3.3 percent for the year.
Higher Education publishing sales rose by 24.2 percent for the month ($197.1 million) and increased 14.2 percent for the year. Finally, the net El-Hi (elementary/high school) basal and supplemental K-12 category posted an increase of 18.4 percent in November with sales of $136.9 million, but sales declined by 15.7 percent for the year.
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies.
In surveying recent book sales reports, Authorlink.com is somewhat skeptical of the AAP increases considering reported losses at the nation’s two largest booksellers and a drop in unit sales. Barnes & Noble this month reported a 5% decrease in store sales over the nine-week holiday from November 1,2009 to January 2, 2010. And Borders Group reported a 13.7% decline for the 11-weeek holiday period ended January 16, 2010 (see Authorlink January 21News edition). In addition, Nielsen BookScan this month reported a drop of 3% in overall unit sales of books through December 2009. Different reporting methods and periods can account for some, but not all, of the differences in numbers. A more detailed analysis from the AAP as to what sales channels are generating increases might be useful.
The AAP also reported that the Adult Hardcover category rose 26.9 percent in November with sales of $204.4 million; year-to-date sales rose 6.7 percent. Adult Paperback sales decreased by 3.0 percent for the month ($92.3 million) and were down by 4.8 percent for the year. The Adult Mass Market category declined by 9.8 percent for November with sales totaling $53.2 million; sales were down by 1.1 percent year-to-date. The Children’s/YA Hardcover category decreased by 13.5 percent for the month with sales of $63.9 million, but sales for year-to-date were up by 3.0 percent. The Children’s/YA Paperback category increased by 1.0 percent in November with sales totaling $43.9 million; sales were also up by 4.1 percent for the year.
Audio Book sales posted an increase of 6.9 percent in November with sales totaling $18.4 million; sales to-date decreased by 14.9 percent. E-books sales reached $18.3 million, reflecting a 199.9 percent jump for November and a 185.2 percent increase year to-date. Religious Books saw a 0.0% change for the month with sales of $48.7 million, although sales were down by 9.7 percent for the year.
Sales of University Press Hardcover books reflected a 21.9 percent increase in November with sales of $5.4 million; sales decreased by 4.2 percent for the year. University Press Paperback sales posted an increase of 2.7 percent for the month with sales totaling $4.2 million; sales were down 1.8 percent for the year. Sales in the Professional and Scholarly category were also up by 2.7 percent in November ($57.1 million) but decreased by 3.3 percent for the year.
Higher Education publishing sales rose by 24.2 percent for the month ($197.1 million) and increased 14.2 percent for the year. Finally, the net El-Hi (elementary/high school) basal and supplemental K-12 category posted an increase of 18.4 percent in November with sales of $136.9 million, but sales declined by 15.7 percent for the year.
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Borders Holiday Sales Take Sharp Decline
ANN ARBOR, MICH/AUTHORLINK NEWS/January 18, 2010—Borders Group this week reported that consolidated sales for the 11-week holiday period ended Jan. 16, 2010 declined 13.7% from the same period last year to $846.8 million.
Within the Borders superstore segment, total sales for the period were $649.2 million, a 14.7% decrease from a year ago. Comparable store sales at Borders superstores declined 14.6%. Factoring out multimedia, comparable store sales at Borders superstores declined 10.9%. The company reduced promotional spending in December, and as a result, gross margins for the month improved 130 basis points compared to a year ago.
Within the Waldenbooks Specialty Retail segment, total sales for the holiday period were $153.2 million, a 14.6% decrease year over year. Comparable store sales for Waldenbooks stores that will remain open beyond the end of this month declined 9.4%.
Excluding currency impact, total International segment sales were $44.4 million for the period, an 8.7% increase. Comparable stores sales at Paperchase stores outside the U.S. increased by 10.1% for the period.
“We are disappointed with holiday results and must intensify our focus on creating and delivering a shopping experience that drives profitable sales,” said Borders Group Chief Executive Officer Ron Marshall. “Given the sales challenge, we have continued to manage cash flow and have taken several important steps in line with our strategic priorities, including moving away from underperforming, low margin categories such as music and video in favor of better performing categories such as children’s. The decision to exit multimedia is right long-term, but impacted comp store sales by 3.7%. In addition, as previously announced, we are right-sizing the mall business with the closure of 182 Waldenbooks Specialty Retail stores. We have continued to expand our Borders Rewards loyalty program and recently announced digital book partnerships with Kobo and Spring Design that position Borders to be a high quality content provider of eBooks. We will continue to focus on reducing expenses and improving working capital to drive improved cash flow and debt reduction as we address the clear priority to drive profitable sales."
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group, Inc. is a leading specialty retailer of books as well as other educational and entertainment items. The company employs approximately 25,000 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders(R) and Waldenbooks(R) stores. Online shopping is offered through borders.com. F
Within the Borders superstore segment, total sales for the period were $649.2 million, a 14.7% decrease from a year ago. Comparable store sales at Borders superstores declined 14.6%. Factoring out multimedia, comparable store sales at Borders superstores declined 10.9%. The company reduced promotional spending in December, and as a result, gross margins for the month improved 130 basis points compared to a year ago.
Within the Waldenbooks Specialty Retail segment, total sales for the holiday period were $153.2 million, a 14.6% decrease year over year. Comparable store sales for Waldenbooks stores that will remain open beyond the end of this month declined 9.4%.
Excluding currency impact, total International segment sales were $44.4 million for the period, an 8.7% increase. Comparable stores sales at Paperchase stores outside the U.S. increased by 10.1% for the period.
“We are disappointed with holiday results and must intensify our focus on creating and delivering a shopping experience that drives profitable sales,” said Borders Group Chief Executive Officer Ron Marshall. “Given the sales challenge, we have continued to manage cash flow and have taken several important steps in line with our strategic priorities, including moving away from underperforming, low margin categories such as music and video in favor of better performing categories such as children’s. The decision to exit multimedia is right long-term, but impacted comp store sales by 3.7%. In addition, as previously announced, we are right-sizing the mall business with the closure of 182 Waldenbooks Specialty Retail stores. We have continued to expand our Borders Rewards loyalty program and recently announced digital book partnerships with Kobo and Spring Design that position Borders to be a high quality content provider of eBooks. We will continue to focus on reducing expenses and improving working capital to drive improved cash flow and debt reduction as we address the clear priority to drive profitable sales."
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group, Inc. is a leading specialty retailer of books as well as other educational and entertainment items. The company employs approximately 25,000 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders(R) and Waldenbooks(R) stores. Online shopping is offered through borders.com. F
Friday, January 15, 2010
New BISG Survey Tracks Book Consumers' Behavior Toward and Preferences for E-Books
NEW YORK, NY/AUTHORLINK NEWS/VIA BISG/January 15, 2010--In a benchmark survey -- the first of three to be released this year -- the Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) has just revealed concrete consumer data collected directly from book readers that addresses how print book buyers access, purchase and use e-books and e-readers.
"In new markets, too much money is often spent reaching too few qualified consumers," said Angela Bole, BISG's Deputy Executive Director. "BISG's Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading survey has been tailored to help solve this problem by identifying specific consumer use patterns that are measureable and actionable."
"For example," Bole continues, "the survey found that 30% of print book buyers would wait up to three months to purchase the e-book edition of a book by their favorite author. This kind of information can inform decisions publishers need to make today about when and how to publish e-book editions."
The first of three, all to be released in 2010, the initial Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading survey also found that the majority of print book buyers rank "affordability" as the #1 reason they would choose to purchase an e-book rather than a print book of the same title. Of less consequence when it came to their purchase decisions was the extent to which an e-book was searchable or environmentally friendly.
Additional findings include:
* Roughly 1/5 of survey respondents said they've stopped purchasing print books within the past 12 months in favor of acquiring the e-book editions.
* Most survey respondents said they prefer to share e-books across devices. Only 28% said they would "definitely" purchase an e-book with Digital Rights Management (DRM); men were more likely than women to say they would not buy an e-book with DRM.
* Survey respondents indicated a clear preference for e-reader devices used as of November 2009, with computers coming in first (47%), followed by the Kindle (32%), and other e-reader devices at roughly 10% apiece.
* Although certainly growing, 81% of survey respondents say they currently purchase an e-book only "rarely" or "occasionally."
The January 2010 release of Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading is the first installment of a three-part study that breaks new ground by providing data from hundreds of print book buyers who also identify as e-book readers. Over the course of nine months (November 2009 to July 2010), respondents were and will be surveyed to find out when, why, how and where they purchase and use both e-books and e-readers. The findings will be available for sale both as a summary report and as a complete data compendium accessible online.
"This past holiday season, major e-book retailers reported unprecedented sales growth," said BISG Executive Director, Scott Lubeck. "The data available in Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading starts making sense of it all."
Data for Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading was derived from a nationally representative panel of print book consumers (men, women and teens) who complete surveys about their book purchasing behavior each month as part of PubTrack™ Consumer, a service of RR Bowker. Out of 36,000 possible panelists, 868 qualified for the BISG e-book survey by indicating they had either purchased a "digital or e-book" in the last 12 months or owned a dedicated e-reader device (such as Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader). 556 survey responses were received, yielding a response rate of 64% at a confidence level of 95%.
"In new markets, too much money is often spent reaching too few qualified consumers," said Angela Bole, BISG's Deputy Executive Director. "BISG's Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading survey has been tailored to help solve this problem by identifying specific consumer use patterns that are measureable and actionable."
"For example," Bole continues, "the survey found that 30% of print book buyers would wait up to three months to purchase the e-book edition of a book by their favorite author. This kind of information can inform decisions publishers need to make today about when and how to publish e-book editions."
The first of three, all to be released in 2010, the initial Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading survey also found that the majority of print book buyers rank "affordability" as the #1 reason they would choose to purchase an e-book rather than a print book of the same title. Of less consequence when it came to their purchase decisions was the extent to which an e-book was searchable or environmentally friendly.
Additional findings include:
* Roughly 1/5 of survey respondents said they've stopped purchasing print books within the past 12 months in favor of acquiring the e-book editions.
* Most survey respondents said they prefer to share e-books across devices. Only 28% said they would "definitely" purchase an e-book with Digital Rights Management (DRM); men were more likely than women to say they would not buy an e-book with DRM.
* Survey respondents indicated a clear preference for e-reader devices used as of November 2009, with computers coming in first (47%), followed by the Kindle (32%), and other e-reader devices at roughly 10% apiece.
* Although certainly growing, 81% of survey respondents say they currently purchase an e-book only "rarely" or "occasionally."
The January 2010 release of Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading is the first installment of a three-part study that breaks new ground by providing data from hundreds of print book buyers who also identify as e-book readers. Over the course of nine months (November 2009 to July 2010), respondents were and will be surveyed to find out when, why, how and where they purchase and use both e-books and e-readers. The findings will be available for sale both as a summary report and as a complete data compendium accessible online.
"This past holiday season, major e-book retailers reported unprecedented sales growth," said BISG Executive Director, Scott Lubeck. "The data available in Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading starts making sense of it all."
Data for Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading was derived from a nationally representative panel of print book consumers (men, women and teens) who complete surveys about their book purchasing behavior each month as part of PubTrack™ Consumer, a service of RR Bowker. Out of 36,000 possible panelists, 868 qualified for the BISG e-book survey by indicating they had either purchased a "digital or e-book" in the last 12 months or owned a dedicated e-reader device (such as Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader). 556 survey responses were received, yielding a response rate of 64% at a confidence level of 95%.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
New Study Documents Epidemic of Online Book Piracy
Washington, DC, January 14, 2010— Nine million illegal downloads of copyright-protected books were documented during the closing months of 2009, according to a new study released today. The independent study, conducted by the online monitoring and enforcement service Attributor, looked at illegal downloads of 913 popular titles. On average, each of the titles tracked was downloaded approximately 10,000 times.
“This new study confirms that book piracy on the Internet has reached epidemic proportions. Unchecked, that piracy will drain the creative energy of American publishing. Those 9 million pirated books should be a call-to-arms for policymakers, educators, and every reader who cares about the future of digital and printed books,” said Tom Allen, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers.
The study can be found online at http://www.attributor.com/docs/Attributor_Book_Anti-Piracy_Research_Findings.pdf. For more information about digital piracy of books contact Ed McCoyd, Executive Director for Digital, Environmental & Accessibility Affairs at the Association of American Publishers (emccoyd@publishers.org).
About AAP
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media is among the Association’s highest priorities.
“This new study confirms that book piracy on the Internet has reached epidemic proportions. Unchecked, that piracy will drain the creative energy of American publishing. Those 9 million pirated books should be a call-to-arms for policymakers, educators, and every reader who cares about the future of digital and printed books,” said Tom Allen, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers.
The study can be found online at http://www.attributor.com/docs/Attributor_Book_Anti-Piracy_Research_Findings.pdf. For more information about digital piracy of books contact Ed McCoyd, Executive Director for Digital, Environmental & Accessibility Affairs at the Association of American Publishers (emccoyd@publishers.org).
About AAP
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media is among the Association’s highest priorities.
Friday, January 08, 2010
Booksellers Association Reorganizes Staff
NEW YORK, NY/AUTHORLINK NEWS/January 07, 2010--The American Booksellers Association has begun the process of a staff reorganization.
ABA Chief Executive Officer Oren Teicher said the reorganization is the result of many months of analysis and investigation. "I was charged by the association's Board of Directors to make ABA both more efficient and better prepared to meet the new and myriad challenges facing independent booksellers," he said.
In the reorganization, several new senior staff positions were announced:
* Meg Smith has been named Membership and Marketing Officer. This position will head a newly created membership and marketing department that will focus on better delivering services to members, as well as increasing the association's membership rolls. Part of Smith's charge will be to create a team of member relationship managers to help booksellers get the maximum benefit from ABA.
* Dan Cullen has been named Content Officer to head a newly created content department. This effort will oversee the creation of all association content, including education, relevant trade and business-related news, and other member content. Cullen will also be helping direct ABA's advocacy and public policy initiatives.
* Mark Nichols has been named Industry Relations Officer. In this role, he will expand his portfolio of liaising with key publishing industry personnel to also represent ABA to all outside partners and industry stakeholders, including vendors, trade associations, and others.
* Jill Perlstein has been named Meetings and Plannings Officer, a newly created officer-level position to oversee all meeting and event logistics, including such high-profile events as the Winter Institute and ABA's participation in BookExpo America.
Len Vlahos will continue serving as ABA's Chief Operating Officer, and Eleanor Chang will be continuing in her role as ABA Chief Financial Officer.
In addition to these new positions, ABA also announced that five employees were let go in the reorganization. "It's never easy to say goodbye to hard-working, loyal colleagues, but we believe that these changes will allow us to organize ABA in a more efficient way to better utilize the association's resources and to achieve the ends adopted by the Board," said Teicher, "We hope and believe we've been successful in doing that."
Details on other key ABA positions will be announced in the coming weeks.
ABA Chief Executive Officer Oren Teicher said the reorganization is the result of many months of analysis and investigation. "I was charged by the association's Board of Directors to make ABA both more efficient and better prepared to meet the new and myriad challenges facing independent booksellers," he said.
In the reorganization, several new senior staff positions were announced:
* Meg Smith has been named Membership and Marketing Officer. This position will head a newly created membership and marketing department that will focus on better delivering services to members, as well as increasing the association's membership rolls. Part of Smith's charge will be to create a team of member relationship managers to help booksellers get the maximum benefit from ABA.
* Dan Cullen has been named Content Officer to head a newly created content department. This effort will oversee the creation of all association content, including education, relevant trade and business-related news, and other member content. Cullen will also be helping direct ABA's advocacy and public policy initiatives.
* Mark Nichols has been named Industry Relations Officer. In this role, he will expand his portfolio of liaising with key publishing industry personnel to also represent ABA to all outside partners and industry stakeholders, including vendors, trade associations, and others.
* Jill Perlstein has been named Meetings and Plannings Officer, a newly created officer-level position to oversee all meeting and event logistics, including such high-profile events as the Winter Institute and ABA's participation in BookExpo America.
Len Vlahos will continue serving as ABA's Chief Operating Officer, and Eleanor Chang will be continuing in her role as ABA Chief Financial Officer.
In addition to these new positions, ABA also announced that five employees were let go in the reorganization. "It's never easy to say goodbye to hard-working, loyal colleagues, but we believe that these changes will allow us to organize ABA in a more efficient way to better utilize the association's resources and to achieve the ends adopted by the Board," said Teicher, "We hope and believe we've been successful in doing that."
Details on other key ABA positions will be announced in the coming weeks.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Borders to be eBook Seller for Alex eReader
FREMONT, CA/ANN ARBOR, MICH/AUTHORLINK NEWS/January 7, 2010--Spring Design and Borders Group, Inc. today announced an agreement in principle to feature the upcoming Borders eBook store powered by Kobo on the new dual display Alex™ eReader later this year. The agreement follows a recent announcement that Borders will launch a new eBook store on Borders.com as well as Borders-branded mobile eBook applications, powered by Kobo. The new Borders-branded eBook store will offer more than two million titles.
“The combination of Borders’ leadership in the book industry and Spring Design’s innovation and experience in consumer electronics will create a world class service for eBook readers,” said Dr. Priscilla Lu, chief executive officer of Spring Design. “This partnership delivers one of the critical foundations of our business growth going forward,” Lu added.
“Our agreement with Spring Design represents another step in our digital strategy, which continues to focus on offering book lovers—including our more than 35 million Borders Rewards loyalty program members—high quality content on the device of their choosing,” said Borders Group Chief Executive Officer Ron Marshall. “We look forward to bringing a world class eBook experience to Alex users.”
Borders Group, Inc., headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., is a leading specialty retailer of books as well as other educational and entertainment items. The company employs approximately 25,000 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders® and Waldenbooks® stores. Online shopping is offered through borders.com.
Spring Design Inc., founded in 2006, designs and delivers eReader products to the e-book market. Alex is the first eBook with full function browser capabilities on Android with dual screen, interactive multi-media eReader. It offers a hyper link publishing tool, “Link Notes” that links eBook text to related video, audio, notes or web addresses. Spring Design Inc. is located in Fremont, Calif. with engineering offices in Taiwan and China. Spring Design's innovative patented technologies incorporate the seamless interaction of dual display and multi-online access in a single device, benefiting and leveraging the technology and resources of the Web to enhance the reading experience. For more information please see www.springdesign.com.
“The combination of Borders’ leadership in the book industry and Spring Design’s innovation and experience in consumer electronics will create a world class service for eBook readers,” said Dr. Priscilla Lu, chief executive officer of Spring Design. “This partnership delivers one of the critical foundations of our business growth going forward,” Lu added.
“Our agreement with Spring Design represents another step in our digital strategy, which continues to focus on offering book lovers—including our more than 35 million Borders Rewards loyalty program members—high quality content on the device of their choosing,” said Borders Group Chief Executive Officer Ron Marshall. “We look forward to bringing a world class eBook experience to Alex users.”
Borders Group, Inc., headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., is a leading specialty retailer of books as well as other educational and entertainment items. The company employs approximately 25,000 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders® and Waldenbooks® stores. Online shopping is offered through borders.com.
Spring Design Inc., founded in 2006, designs and delivers eReader products to the e-book market. Alex is the first eBook with full function browser capabilities on Android with dual screen, interactive multi-media eReader. It offers a hyper link publishing tool, “Link Notes” that links eBook text to related video, audio, notes or web addresses. Spring Design Inc. is located in Fremont, Calif. with engineering offices in Taiwan and China. Spring Design's innovative patented technologies incorporate the seamless interaction of dual display and multi-online access in a single device, benefiting and leveraging the technology and resources of the Web to enhance the reading experience. For more information please see www.springdesign.com.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
The Last B. Daltons Shuts Down
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL/AUTHORLINK NEWS/January 5, 2010--The last of the B. Daltons, once numbering nearly 800 stores, will close this month, including the first unit at Southdale, according to a report by Jackie Crosby at the Star Tribune.
After 44 years and with just 50 stores remaining in the once-mighty chain, parent company Barnes & Noble Inc. will shut down all remaining stores by month's end. Minnesota's last two locations, in Edina and Bemidji, will close Jan. 16.
It's another chapter in nearly two decades of upheaval in the book industry, as the rise of Amazon.com and national supercenters crowded out smaller chains and independents.
But back in its day, B. Dalton Bookseller was one of the nation's top retailers and on the cutting edge of technology.
Read the full story at the Star Tribune.
After 44 years and with just 50 stores remaining in the once-mighty chain, parent company Barnes & Noble Inc. will shut down all remaining stores by month's end. Minnesota's last two locations, in Edina and Bemidji, will close Jan. 16.
It's another chapter in nearly two decades of upheaval in the book industry, as the rise of Amazon.com and national supercenters crowded out smaller chains and independents.
But back in its day, B. Dalton Bookseller was one of the nation's top retailers and on the cutting edge of technology.
Read the full story at the Star Tribune.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Lubeck Heads Book Industry Study Group
New York, NY (January 5, 2010) – Scott Lubeck, most recently Vice President of Technology for Wolters Kluwer Health, Professional and Education, has been appointed Executive Director of the Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG), and will preside over the January 21, 2010 BISG Board of Directors Meeting.
Dominique Raccah, Co-Chair of the BISG Board of Directors said, “We’ve seen that BISG members feel BISG is even more critical in these highly changeable times and want more from us: more training, best practices, policy statements, education and research. Scott comes to us with expertise in strategically re-positioning technology and media related businesses as well as entrepreneurial leadership in developing these kinds of new business opportunities.”
“I am very excited to be joining BISG during these transforming times in our industry,” Mr. Lubeck said. “For over thirty years BISG has offered members of the industry best practices and standards, research, and educational programs. In the coming years, BISG will continue to expand its initiatives for both physical and digital products. Being part of this will be both rewarding and challenging.”
Mr. Lubeck has more than thirty years of publishing industry experience and has been heavily involved in technology areas and in dealing with the design and implementation of digital initiatives. As Vice President of Technology for Wolters Kluwer Health, Professional and Education, he led the transformation of a traditional medical publisher from print to customer-centric with new products, new business models and new technology. Lubeck has also held executive positions with Harvard Business School Publishing and Newsstand, Inc., as well as with Perseus Books Group and National Academy Press.
“The Search Committee worked for several months looking for an individual who embodied a fusion of energy and creativity when working with printed and digital content. Scott will lead BISG in our future efforts in policy, standards and research development,” said Joseph Gonnella, Chair of the BISG Search Committee.
Dominique Raccah, Co-Chair of the BISG Board of Directors said, “We’ve seen that BISG members feel BISG is even more critical in these highly changeable times and want more from us: more training, best practices, policy statements, education and research. Scott comes to us with expertise in strategically re-positioning technology and media related businesses as well as entrepreneurial leadership in developing these kinds of new business opportunities.”
“I am very excited to be joining BISG during these transforming times in our industry,” Mr. Lubeck said. “For over thirty years BISG has offered members of the industry best practices and standards, research, and educational programs. In the coming years, BISG will continue to expand its initiatives for both physical and digital products. Being part of this will be both rewarding and challenging.”
Mr. Lubeck has more than thirty years of publishing industry experience and has been heavily involved in technology areas and in dealing with the design and implementation of digital initiatives. As Vice President of Technology for Wolters Kluwer Health, Professional and Education, he led the transformation of a traditional medical publisher from print to customer-centric with new products, new business models and new technology. Lubeck has also held executive positions with Harvard Business School Publishing and Newsstand, Inc., as well as with Perseus Books Group and National Academy Press.
“The Search Committee worked for several months looking for an individual who embodied a fusion of energy and creativity when working with printed and digital content. Scott will lead BISG in our future efforts in policy, standards and research development,” said Joseph Gonnella, Chair of the BISG Search Committee.
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