James Atlas Joins Amazon Publishing; Atlas & Co. Stops Releasing New Titles – Publisher’s Weekly – Calvin Reid
According to accounts from sources, James Atlas, founder of the independent publishing house Atlas & Co., has joined Amazon Publishing and his indie house has stopped releasing frontlist titles. Atlas is said to have reached an agreement with Amazon’s Larry Kirshbaum to publish a series of short biographies for Amazon Publishing.
Hmmm…
Introducing Paragon Books: Little Learners! These books are geared toward babies’ and toddlers’ development, including
I think this is absolutely precious, and I’m thrilled to see that not everything has gone digital, especially for children. A very important part of childhood cognitive development (from what I’ve learned in many of my psychology classes) is interaction with the physical world. This includes sights, sounds, touching various textures, discovery – these things aren’t fully developed (especially touch) with e-technology.
BISG Report: Book Purchases Up, but Not From Bookstores – Publisher’s Weekly
Consumers who read e-books are increasing their purchase of books—both print and e-book formats—online and especially through in-app purchasing, and decreasing their use of brick-and-mortar stores, according to the first installment of Volume Three of the Book Industry Study Group’s “Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading” survey.
I think it’s very interesting that, when e-readers first appeared, the public cried over the “loss of the print book” (I know I definitely did). But, as this study shows, print book purchases are increasing! This could be for multiple reasons. From my experience, I’d say it’s because if I liked a book I read on my Nook, I ended up buying a print version to display on my shelves.
London Review of Books: Charlotte Brontë’s lost manuscript L’Ingratitude – available to read in French and English
The Guardian: Charlotte Brontë’s lost short story to be published
A long-lost short story written by Charlotte Brontë for a married man with whom she fell in love is to be published for the first time after being found in a Belgian museum a century after it was last heard of.
The tale, written in grammatically erratic French and entitled L’Ingratitude, is the first-known piece of homework set for Brontë by Constantin Heger, a Belgian tutor who taught both her and her sister Emily, and is believed to have inspired such ardour in the elder sibling that she drew on their relationship for her novel Villette.
Tracking Amazon: Oscar Movies See Sales Increase -Publisher’s Weekly
A number of books that inspired films nominated for an Academy Award this year are seeing a sharp uptick immediately following the Sunday night telecast of the show.
The biggest jump was The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings. It jumped to #114 from #1,164 (a 921% sales spike). Which book were you rooting for during the Oscars?
Personally, I was very surprised about War Horse and disappointed about Harry Potter. However, I was extremely happy for The Help, Hugo, and The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. A big congratulations to The Artist – back to the basics (for film, sound, music, and screenplay!) for the movies!
Per the Trend, Penguins Sales are Roughly Flat as Profits Rise – Publisher’s Lunch – Michael Cader
For the full year, ebook sales “doubled on the previous year and accounted for 12 percent of Penguin revenues” worldwide, and “more than 20 percent in the US” and they “expect this percentage to increase significantly again in 2012.”
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Alongside the “fantastic” peformance at DK, Makinson said that children’s publishing “was very strong…around the world,” and is “one of the few areas of the market continuing to show very healthy trends.” In the US, Penguin USA ceo David Shanks added that their children’s group “actually sold a lot more books than they had the previous year, even without Borders” in the marketplace.
Study: Increasingly, children’s books are where the wild things aren’t – Science Codex – U of Nebraska-Lincoln
Was your favorite childhood book crawling with wild animals and set in places like jungles or deep forests? Or did it take place inside a house or in a city, with few if any untamed creatures in sight?
A new study has found that over the last several decades, nature has increasingly taken a back seat in award-winning children’s picture books — and suggests this sobering trend is consistent with a growing isolation from the natural world.
A group of researchers led by University of Nebraska-Lincoln sociology professor emeritus J. Allen Williams Jr. reviewed the winners and honor books receiving the prestigious Caldecott Medal from the award’s inception in 1938 through 2008. In total, they examined nearly 8,100 images contained in nearly 300 books. Caldecott awardees are the children’s books judged by the American Library Association to have the best illustrations in a given year.
This makes me a little sad! At a time when we should care about our environment the most, the books are reflecting our neglect!
Are Teens Embracing E-books?: The Digital Divide – Publisher’s Weekly – Karen Springen
A recent PubTrak survey from R.R. Bowker indicated that teens remain reluctant when it comes to e-books. Accustomed to social media, they find that electronic stories have “too many restrictions,” according to the report. But many industry players—agents, booksellers, publishers, and authors—are saying just the opposite: digital sales are booming for YA fiction.
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As for the dreaded cannibalization of print, it does not appear to be happening in YA. “The whole pie grows,” says Hilt. “There’s a lot more evidence that users are going back and forth between digital and physical. People are now buying more books when they become digital readers. The key is to have the book available in all formats.”
The goal for books of any format is to create more readers. The article is very optimistic that more and more teens will embrace the e-reading experience. The YA market is expanding, and it also allows for any self-conscious adults who may otherwise steer clear of the YA/children’s section of bookstores to browse more freely with e-readers.
Bring on the Flavor: It’s Not Just About Health (bit it won’t hurt) – Publisher’s Weekly – Mark Rotella
To change things up a bit, here’s an article on the latest news in cooking trends and recently published cookbooks! Makes me want to toss everything out of my fridge, start over, and buy all organic foods and attack my personal fear of the oven and stove.
Butter, eggs, heavy cream with sherry, and lobster—combined in ramekins and topped with a puff pastry. Like many recipes from Lobster (Storey, May), there is no sparing fat for health concerns. This season’s batch of cookbooks represents an ode to fresh flavor—both traditional and cutting edge.
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But you don’t have to eat fat to get flavor these days—or any animal products at all. Vegetarian, even vegan, cookbooks are striving to reach more general audiences. And they are succeeding—in both recipes and design.
Coming out from Chronicle is Pure Vegan by Joseph Shuldiner. “Think visual, gorgeous, and stylish,” says Chronicle’s publicity manager, David Hawkey. “It’s not your typical vegan cookbook.”
Adam Salomone, associate publisher of Harvard Common Press, sees changing trends in vegan and vegetarian cookbooks alike, primarily with Herbivoracious: A Flavor Revolution with 150 Vibrant and Original Vegetarian Recipes by Michael Natkin. “It’s not a book that is just healthy or good for the planet—it’s just good food.”
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There is little doubt that families greatly benefit, both physically and emotionally, from sitting around the table for mealtime. The number of new cookbooks emphasizing the importance of eating together at home illustrates the interest in this trend.
Makes your mouth water, doesn’t it? Read on for more!
Barnes & Noble Sells More Books, But Liberty Share Dilute Earnings – Publishers Lunch – Michael Cader
Yesterday’s big announcement was B&N’s quarterly sales report. If you would like to see the specific data, please click the link and continue to read.
CEO William Lynch says in the release that “our traffic and sales in stores were the highest we’ve seen in five years.” He reports that “physical book sales at our stores increased more than 4 percent over last year, and our merchandising changes in our juvenile business and our toys & games department experienced double-digit revenue growth.” The Nook business continues to grow “and according to some of the largest US publishers, we maintained or slightly gained share in the eBook market during the third quarter.”
Lynch further explains the future of the Nook business and potential plans.
Scribbles & Wanderlust 