By Edward Nawotka Though it’s not strictly trade news, many have noted the passing of bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish-American memoirist Frank McCourt, who died from cancer on Sunday afternoon. He was 78. Frank, may a properly pulled pint be waiting for you when you arrive at St. Peter’s Gate. Trade news on both side of the Atlantic has focuses …
German Buch News: G+J’s Buchholz joins B’mann’s Exec Board
By Siobhan O’Leary Boersenblatt reports that Gruner + Jahr CEO Bernd Buchholz has been named to Bertelsmann’s Executive Board. He will continue as CEO of G+J and will receive no additional compensation for this new role. After a short stint in politics, Buchholz worked for G+J in various capacities starting in the late 1990s and has been CEO since the …
Top US/UK Trade Talk: McGraw-Hill Shrinks; Managers Buy Borders UK
By Edward Nawotka McGraw-Hill Education has re-organized it’s elhi division and laid off 335 people (after eliminating 445 people last year), reports Publishers Weekly. The wider McGraw-Hill company is eliminating another 210 positions throughout the firm. Publishers Lunch also focused on the lay-offs, noting: “The company’s announcement, however, simply focuses on ‘creating achievement-focused preK-12 education group to help students develop …
German Buch News: Merkel Commits to Frankfurt, Schwarze Becomes a Chevalier
By Siobhan O’Leary The Boersenblatt reports that Chancellor Angela Merkel is planning to attend the opening of this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair on October 13th. It is still unclear which political figures will represent Guest of Honor China at the fair, but what is clear is that the opportunity for political and cultural discourse will be a priority. Longtime Aufbau …
Despite Down Economy, Remainders Still a Great Way to Make Money
By Edward Nawotka KNOXVILLE, TN: “For a long time the remainder market wasn’t considered a legitimate part of the book trade,” says Larry May. May, who runs The Spring Book Show and the Great American Bargain Book Show, remainder book trade fairs held in Atlanta and Boston respectively, believes that perception has finally turned around. “Maybe it’s the economy, but …
German Buch News: Cheaper Sony E-reader, Reuss Still Ranting
By Siobhan O’Leary On the heels of Amazon’s recent price reduction for the Kindle in the US (to $299), Sony has just lowered its recommended price of its Reader in Germany by 17% to 249 Euros (from 299 Euros). Buchreport reveals that Thalia.de, Germany’s largest bookstore chain, has not only embraced the change but has taken it a step further: …
Publisher Witnessed Assassination During Tehran Protests
By Chip Rossetti TEHRAN: Amid the post-election turmoil and public protests that have roiled Iran over the last several weeks, one of the most poignant (and potent) symbols for the opposition has been Neda Agha-Soltan, the young woman shot by a government sniper in the midst of the Tehran crowds on June 20. A short, shaky video of her death …
German Buch News: Bertelsmann Pay Cuts, Twitter Usage Up
By Siobhan O’Leary Executives at Bertelsmann’s Gutersloh headquarters were recently hit with diminished bonuses (as much as 50% lower in some cases) and salary cuts. Now, the pay cuts are affecting other employees at Gutersloh, says Buchmarkt. They will not be seeing the 2.5% pay scale increase that was planned for this month, and employees being paid over and above the …
German Buch News: Sales Up Slightly, “Psychological DRM”
by Siobhan O’Leary Despite the worldwide financial crisis, the German book market continues to remain relatively stable, says Buchreport. The Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers & Booksellers Association) has calculated a 1.4% increase in sales for the first five months of 2009. Of course, the book industry should approach this news with cautious optimism: In 2008, the German book …
Spain’s Big Three to Form New Digital Distributor
By Emily Williams MADRID & BARCELONA: Spain has not been on the leading edge of the digital revolution up to this point. Now, after years of observing how the market has developed in other countries, the biggest publishing groups in Spain have decided the moment has come to take a big step forward – and they will do it together. …