Revenue

The initial promise is compelling, especially for voracious readers. For $10-$15/month consumers get access to more content than they could possibly read in a month. That ultimately creates a bigger problem than the subscription platforms probably realize. For more than a year now I've been a subscriber to both Oyster, for books, and Next Issue,…

Linda K. Zecher, HMH's President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We began 2015 on solid footing as we executed against our growth strategy. We remain the clear leader within K-12 adoption school districts thus far in 2015 and have continued to build momentum in key growth areas. As recently announced, we believe our planned acquisition of the EdTech business of Scholastic will enhance our ability to drive value for our shareholders by strengthening our core business and accelerating growth in adjacent markets.

The inclusion of Harlequin and strong sales of Chris Kyle's memoir American Sniper (William Morrow) helped HarperCollins to a 14% increase in revenues in the three months to 31st March, compared to the year before. But e-book revenues declined 3% year-on-year, HarperCollins' parent company News Corp has said, in its latest quarterly results.

Revenues for HarperCollins were $402m in the quarter, up 14% from $354m in the previous year. News Corp said the increase was driven by the inclusion of results from Harlequin, which was bought by News Corp in May 2014, and by "strong backlist sales

Trends and new approaches that are reinvigorating science, technical and medical publishing were explored last week at the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers' (STM) three-day Annual U.S. Conference 2015 in Washington, DC. Blasting Open Access
Setting an inspiring tone for the conference, Jeff Beale, scholarly communications librarian at University of Colorado, Denver, lambasted Open Access in his keynote address on the first day.

A fast review process provides a competitive advantage for a journal, and the Nature Publishing Group (NPG) recently performed an experiment in outsourced, fast track peer review to try to address the problem. The unexpected consequence of this experiment exposed something else entirely: concern from the research community over tiered systems where wealthy authors are favored over those lacking funds. NPG launched a four-week trial in their megajournal Scientific Reports. The journal features a Gold open access (OA) business model, where accepted authors pay a $1,495 article processing charge (APC).

On the surface this feels like such a straight-forward question one might wonder why we would even cover it. However, this question is filled with nuance. If expectations are not clearly set, misunderstanding can cause angst, poor working relationships, and even legal action. Here’s what the Chefs had to say:

Joe Esposito: Editorial independence is sometimes called by the more colorful name of the “church-and-state” principle. Editors rule the church, the state is run by the business types. This is an important principle in advertising-supported media where a publication may be pressured

By 2014, e-books accounted for 27.2 percent of adult trade book sales, according to the Association of American Publishers. And now, like other publishers, HUP is seeking new opportunities in this increasingly digital world. "We see digital formats as an important means of reaching readers and furthering scholarship," Sisler wrote.

In September 2014, HUP launched the digital version of the Loeb Classical Library, a collection of over 500 volumes of Greek and Latin texts with facing-page translations that the press has published since 1934.

Pearson Plc said restructuring costs are set to decline in 2015 after two years of job cuts and reorganization, helping the publisher of the Financial Times boost earnings even as sales are stalling.

First-quarter revenue was little changed excluding currency swings, Pearson said Friday. The London-based company reiterated its earnings per share may rise as much as 20 percent this year and said Chairman Glen Moreno was stepping down after nine years in the role.

DC Comics has announced an "unprecedented" scheme to repackage its female superheroes and supervillains for girls aged 6-12. The initiative will introduce a new, cartoonish aesthetic for the characters, with stories focusing on their formative years "prior to discovering their full super power potential." Characters including Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Batgirl will be part of the scheme, with the full range of planned products intended to include graphic novels, action figures, TV specials (but not a full animated series), online-only content, toys, and apparel.

John Wiley & Sons (NYSE: JW-A) announced that President and CEO Stephen M. Smith has declared his intention to retire due to previously-disclosed medical reasons, effective June 1, 2015. The Board has elected Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Allin as his successor.

Mr. Smith has served as Wiley's President and CEO since 2011, guiding the Company through its transition from a largely print publisher to a knowledge company focused on digital content and solutions.