It might be a picture of gloom and doom for most business sectors in 2020 though surprisingly, the publishing sector has come out unscathed from the vagaries of the pandemic. Sales have largely been positive across all segments of the book industry, which includes printed books, eBooks, and audiobooks. Print sales have risen by 8 percent, which may not seem much but is the … [Read more...] about 2020 has been surprisingly good for the publishing industry
Digital Publishing News
Goodreads disables their API program
GoodReads has an API program that they have been running since 2010. Developers could get access to metadata, cover art, book descriptions and a host of other data. The company has quietly suspended the ability for new keys to access the API and has already been emailing developers, telling them their API access has been shut off. Some developers have taken to the API … [Read more...] about Goodreads disables their API program
Book Expo America is discontinued
All of the big book fairs did not run this year, such as the London Book Fair and the Frankfurt edition. Due to COVID, they all decided to move online and will likely be back. Book Expo America, the largest publishing event in North America also did not run, but it is meeting a gruesome fate, it is being discontinued. Reed Expo, the organizers of BEA released the following … [Read more...] about Book Expo America is discontinued
Penguin Random House, Hachette and Harpercollins most likely to buy S&S
Penguin Random House, Hachette and Harpercollins are the three leading bidders to purchase Simon and Schuster, the 3rd largest publisher in the world. The New York Times is reporting that the sale price is $1.7 billion and the bids must be officially made by Thanksgiving and the deal should be announced a few days later. Simon and Schuster's revenue rose 20% last quarter on … [Read more...] about Penguin Random House, Hachette and Harpercollins most likely to buy S&S
Hachette Book Sales Increase by 19.2% in the US in Q3 2020
Hachette global publishing revenue was €704 million, up 6.3% from the same period last year. E-books as a proportion of total Lagardère Publishing revenue continued to grow, representing 9.9% in the third quarter of 2020 versus 7.8% in third-quarter 2019, while downloadable audiobooks represented 3.7% of revenue compared to 2.9% one year earlier. Business surged 19.2% in the … [Read more...] about Hachette Book Sales Increase by 19.2% in the US in Q3 2020
Digital Publishing News Sites are embracing Paywalls
If you are want to stay abreast of all of the latest digital publishing news, Paywalls are making a comeback. Most of the largest websites are hiding the vast majority of their stories, unless you subscribe. Publishers Weekly is making most of their latest news stories locked, you can subscribe for a few hundred a year to read all of them or a monthly sub for 19.95. Publishers … [Read more...] about Digital Publishing News Sites are embracing Paywalls
HarperCollins Experiences a 45% increase in book sales
For the three months ended September 30th, 2020, HarperCollins generated $458 million dollars across their entire publishing operation. This was an increase of $53 million, or 13%, as compared to the same quarter last year. Sales were primarily driven by the strong performance of titles in the General Books category such as The Order by Daniel Silva, The Guest List by Lucy … [Read more...] about HarperCollins Experiences a 45% increase in book sales
Simon and Schuster sales increased by 29% in Q3 2020
Publishing revenue at Simon and Schuster brought in $279 million dollars in the 3rd quarter, which was a 29% increase from the same period last year. The last time the company had this strong of a quarter was close to 3 years ago. One of the big reasons of the increase was higher print and digital book sales that were driven by strong releases. Bestselling titles for the … [Read more...] about Simon and Schuster sales increased by 29% in Q3 2020
Google Play Books Unveils Promo Code Campaigns
Google Play Books has been doubling down on their ebook infrastructure for the past month. They recently unveiled a 70% commission rate for publishers and indie authors. The platform is now focusing on the promotional aspect and has just launched Promo code campaigns, which can be used to offer select customers a discounted ebooks and audiobooks without lowering the list price. … [Read more...] about Google Play Books Unveils Promo Code Campaigns
Bertelsmann is considering a bid for Simon & Schuster
Bertelsmann is the parent company of Penguin Random House, and this year they own 100% of the company, after they bought out the stake Pearson had in it. Penguin Random House is responsible for almost half of all books published in the world, on a yearly basis. When Viacom and CBS merged, in late 2019, the company said that Simon & Schuster was “not a core asset. It is not … [Read more...] about Bertelsmann is considering a bid for Simon & Schuster