Harlequin

BitLit Announces HarperCollins Ebook Bundling Pilot Program
July 21, 2014

In a potentially major gain for the ebook-bundling concept, BitLit today is announcing its first deal with a Big Five publisher. HarperCollins (US) has entered what is being described as a pilot programme with the Vancouver-based BitLit to offer discounted ebook editions of print books that readers already own.

"This is not, obviously, HarperCollins' full list," Peter Hudson, BitLit co-founder, tells The Bookseller's The FutureBook. "This is a limited set of titles and it's going to be rolled out reasonably slowly over time, with new titles coming on board

10 Things Publishers Have Been Doing (That We Should Celebrate)
July 16, 2014

Publishing is all too often, and all too easily, lambasted for all the things it does not do. But we should also acknowledge what has been happening. What publishers have been trying out and in what areas these initiatives have been working. 2014 has already been a sobering year for the business, with the loss of two redoutable indies (both scooped up by Hachette), and a continuing decline in sales of physical books (albeit at a slowing rate). But it has also been a year of innovation

Hachette Reveals Amazon Digital Sales Share
June 12, 2014

Amazon has a 78% market share of Hachette Livre e-book titles in the UK and a 60% share in the US, an Investor Day presentation by Hachette Livre has revealed. The presentation, made public on the company's website and first reported by Publishers Marketplace, has shed fresh light into how hard the publisher must be being hit by its current row over terms with Amazon in the US, which has seen pre-ordering removed from selected Hachette Book Group titles. The presentation has also discussed a necessary "rebalancing" between the company's US and UK operations.

Book Publishing Helps News Corp Beat Wall Street 3rd-Quarter Earnings Expectations
May 9, 2014

News Corp.'s net income fell in its fiscal third quarter, but its results beat Wall Street expectations due to better book publishing thanks to thriving sales of the "Divergent" series, which was launched as a movie in March. The lift from books underlined News Corp.'s announcement last week that it would purchase romance fiction publisher Harlequin Enterprises for $415 million from Canada's Torstar Corp.

Chief Executive Robert Thomson told analysts on a conference call that there's "no doubt that book publishing is transitioning successfully to digital" and said Harlequin's

Mills and Boon Embarks on New Chapter in Digital Storytelling with 'The Chatsfield'
May 6, 2014

Mills and Boon, the Harlequin-owned book publisher best known for its saucy women's fiction, is embarking on a new chapter in storytelling, with the launch of digital series The Chatsfield.

The series is not just an eBook, or an eBook with hyperlinks or video added. Harlequin has taken traditional storytelling and turned it on its head, creating non-linear stories in bite-sized chunks that are designed to be told in real-time.

Harlequin Publishing Company Sold to HarperCollins for $455M
May 2, 2014

TORONTO -- Torstar Corp., owner of the Toronto Star and other newspapers, is selling the Harlequin book publishing company for $455 million to global media company News Corp. and it will be run as a division of HarperCollins Publishers.

Torstar (TSX:TS.B) says the sale will strengthen its financial position and a portion of the net proceeds will be used for debt reduction.

Harlequin, known for its romance books, has been part of Torstar for 39 years.

 

Torstar Revenue Down 7% as Harlequin Book Unit Suffers
March 5, 2014

Torstar Corp., owner of the Toronto Star and other newspapers and the Harlequin book publishing company, reports that its fourth-quarter profit was stable despite a decline in revenue

The Toronto-based media company had $20.6 million of net income in the three months ended Dec. 31, little changed from $21.1 million a year earlier. Net income per share was unchanged at 26 cents; adjusted earnings fell one cent to 48 cents per share.

How Crowdsourcing Is Changing the Book
December 31, 2013

Today readers have more power than ever. Not only are publishers turning to their audiences to fund major projects, but they also look to consumers for feedback and help in creating the next bestseller. It's called crowdsourcing, and it has been growing in popularity as social publishing sites continue to thrive. For example, on Scribd, readers discover and discuss books from a massive digital library of bestsellers and self-published works, while on Medium, shorter articles are published by users, collaboratively edited, and ranked by popularity. Both platforms allow users to make comments on the work. Crowdsourcing gives readers a voice, but it also creates a buzz for the author's work and an audience ready to receive it.

Consumer Wise
November 1, 2013

Over the past few years, direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales have been top-of-mind for many in the publishing industry.  This approach has also been hotly debated, with some advocating for deeper consumer relationships through data, and others equating D2C with taking on Amazon in the retail space—a fight in which few, if any, would like to engage.

Wattpad is the Most Active Social Site You've Never Heard Of
October 1, 2013

Eighteen million readers and writers around the world spend 4.5-billion minutes a month publishing, collaborating and skimming text on Wattpad, the biggest under-the-radar e-literature community on the web.

The Toronto-based startup is a free publishing and reading platform allowing wordsmiths to share and collaborate on stories. It's probably the most active social site you've never heard of.