Penguins Severs Ties with OverDrive – Publisher’s Weekly – Calvin Reid
Penguin, which only offered backlist e-book titles for library lending, is terminating its contract with OverDrive, the library digital vendor, and starting February 10 will cease to offer any of its e-books or audiobooks to libraries. Penguin is negotiating a “continuance” agreement that will allow libraries that have already purchased Penguin e-books to continue to loan them.
Amazon and Kindle users are effected as well.
ABA Says “No” to Amazon Publishing – Publisher’s Weekly – Judith Rosen
The American Booksellers Association is the latest to weigh in on Amazon’s publishing program following the decision by Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Indigo Books not to carry their titles. Today the organization’s for-profit subsidiary, IndieCommerce, began removing all Amazon titles from its database.
A commenter made a very good point: by isolating Amazon, Amazon could become even more of a powerhouse. And yet, if booksellers embrace Amazon, Amazon could become even more of a powerhouse. Oh, dear.
A Publisher’s Menagerie: Stories Behind Publishers’ Animal Logos – Publishing TrendSetter – Elisabeth Watson
Discover the interesting histories behind the animals and logos to some of your favorite publishing houses!
This idea sprang from a phone conversation overheard a few months ago in the Market Partners International offices, in which one of the partners was reminiscing with an old friend about publishing animals past and present. Although heavy on whimsy, the stories behind these animals are one of those peeks at “vintage” publishing trivia that most of us, deep down, have difficulty getting enough of.
Best Publishing Companies to Work For – Digital Book World – Jeremy Greenfield
If the title didn’t catch you, why are you reading this blog?!
Employees at the best-rated publishing companies like working there because of strong industry brands, good communication between layers of leadership and departments and the learning experiences available.
Companies that make the list include…
Here’s the latest news on upcoming and new publications.
Don’t Forget, Nana, God Bless Our Troops by Jill Biden
Read about this upcoming children’s picture book here. Tentative publishing date June 2012.
Summary: Inspired by her own granddaughter Natalie, Vice President Joe Biden’s wife Jill tells a family story through a child’s eyes of what family life is like when a parent is at war across the world.
When her father leaves for a year of being at war, Natalie knows that she will miss him. Natalie is proud of her father but there is nothing to stop her from wishing he was home. Some things do help her feel better. Natalie works with her Nana to send her dad and the other service men and women cookies and treats they have made. Natalie, her mom and brother can see and talk to Dad over the computer, and the kindness of friends at school and at church help her feel supported and loved. But there is nothing like the day when her Dad comes home at last.
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The Bedlam Detective by Stephen Gallagher out Monday February 6!
Summary: Set in England in 1912, this masterful whodunit from Gallagher (Red, Red Robin) introduces Sebastian Becker, a former policeman and Pinkerton agent who now works as the special investigator to the Masters of Lunacy, looking into cases involving any “man of property” whose sanity is under question. His latest assignment takes him to the small town of Arnmouth to determine whether Sir Owain Lancaster has gone around the bend. Lancaster returned from a disastrous trip to the Amazon, which claimed the life of his wife and son, only to attribute the catastrophe to mysterious animals straight out of Doyle’s The Lost World. Lancaster believes that the creatures that plagued him in South America have followed him home, and are responsible for the deaths of two young girls, a theory supported by a local legend of a beast of the moor.
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First Girl Scout: The Life of Juliette Gordon Low by Ginger Wadworth out tomorrow!
Summary: Just in time for the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts in 2012, a lavishly illustrated account of the fascinating life of the woman who started it all. Juliette Gordon Low was a remarkable woman with ideas that were ahead of her time. She witnessed important eras in U.S. history, from the Civil War and Reconstruction to westward expansion to post–World War I. And she made history by founding the first national organization to bring girls from all backgrounds into the out-of-doors. Daisy created controversy by encouraging them to prepare not only for traditional homemaking but also for roles as professional women—in the arts, sciences, and business—and for active citizenship outside the home. Her group also welcomed girls with disabilities at a time when they were usually excluded.
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Happy reading, everyone!
Fair Trade: Random House Will Raise Library E-book Prices, But Commits to E-Book Lending – Publisher’s Weekly – Andrew Albanese
Never has a price increase been such good news for libraries. At a meeting with ALA leaders this week in New York, Random House officials said the “terms of sale” for Random House e-books to libraries will change, with a price increase coming. But the publisher reiterated its commitment to library e-book lending, saying they would continue to enable e-book lending of their entire list for both adult and children’s titles, backlist and frontlist, without restriction.
Definitely a fair trade. Continuing on from the article, RH is trying to have all parties benefit: the authors, the readers, the libraries, the publishers. Seems like a good deal for such a touchy subject.
I’ve just received an email saying I’m officially a World Book Night book giver!
Anyone else out there receive one as well?
The Greatest Books of All Time, as Voted by 125 Famous Authors – The Atlantic – Maria Popova
The requirements, or setting, for the list:
“If you’re putting together a list of ‘the greatest books,’ you’ll want to do two things: (1) out of kindness, avoid anyone working on a novel; and (2) decide what the word ‘great’ means. The first part is easy, but how about the second? A short list of possible definitions of ‘greatness’ might look like this:
1. ‘Great’ means ‘books that have been greatest for me.’
2. ‘Great’ means ‘books that would be considered great by the most people over time.’
3. ‘Great’ has nothing to do with you or me—or people at all. It involves transcendental concepts like God or the Sublime.
4. ‘Great’? I like Tom Clancy. “
Some of the books that make it include
Several categories too!!! This was really neat. Check it out!
BAM Picks CoverCake to Track Social Media Book Data – Publisher’s Weekly – Calvin Reid
Books-A-Million is teaming up with CoverCake, a startup venture focused on title discovery and analytics that can track book trends and overall online interest in titles and publishers across multiple social media platforms. CoverCake will be used by BAM in its internal and external systems to enhance its merchandising and shopping experience.
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Costello said that using CoverCake, publishers and marketers can track individual titles and get specific data on how many people are posting about a specific title on Twitter, say, on any other social media site. Users can track the online discussion around genres—biography, fiction, travel, romance and so on—the gender of readers for a specific title or specific publishers and authors.
Scribbles & Wanderlust 