Running Press Book Publishers

In the New York Times coverage, for example, the fact that hundreds of indie publishers were part of the deal doesn’t show up until — well, it doesn’t really show up at all. The fact that Perseus even had a “distribution arm” doesn’t appear until paragraph seven, but you’d have to know what “distribution arm” meant to really get it, and even then it only merits half a sentence: “Under the terms of the deal, Hachette would keep the Perseus publishing business,

Penguin Random House announced today the launch of an online bookstore attached to its food community site, TasteBook. The Bookshop, as it's called, sells new and classic food-related titles, such as The Chopped Cookbook, The Hungry Girl Diet, and My Paris Kitchen. The Bookshop launched with 10,000 titles across all publishers.

Berkeley, CA (July 8, 2013) — PGW and Grove Atlantic announced today that they have entered into a multi-year extension of their existing print and digital sales and distribution agreement. “PGW’s long standing partnership with Grove Atlantic is a testament to the mutual respect and admiration we have for each other,” said David Steinberger, President and CEO of The Perseus Books Group. “We are gratified that Grove has chosen to extend their relationship with PGW and look forward to their continued success.”

Our country is in the midst of a growing "shop local" movement, urging folks to support their neighborhood stores, eat locally grown produce, and, in general, make staying close to home with their dollars a lifestyle choice.

As publishers, we can take this local movement to heart. You're part of a local scene, wherever you're based. Do you know your nearby colleagues? Get together with them? Attend or even create events that provide opportunities for networking? I urge you to talk to your local colleagues, talk them up, and support them by buying what they write or publish!

(Philadelphia) – June 19, 2012 – Book Business and Publishing Executive magazines, business-to-business publications of North American Publishing Co., have announced the appointment of Lynn Rosen to Content Director. In this new role, Rosen will direct the content strategy of these leading brands across a number of platforms including print publications, e-newsletters, industry events, webinars, online products, and more. She will also direct the conference program for the popular Publishing Business Conference & Expo, which attracts more than 2,000 publishing executives each year. Rosen will oversee both brands’ editorial departments.

Book Business and Publishing Executive magazines, business-to-business publications of North American Publishing Co., have announced the appointment of Lynn Rosen to Content Director. In this new role, Rosen will direct the content strategy of these leading brands across a number of platforms including print publications, e-newsletters, industry events, webinars, online products and more. She will also direct the conference program for the popular Publishing Business Conference & Expo, which attracts more than 2,000 publishing executives each year. Rosen will oversee both brands’ editorial departments.

“Lynn brings with her a unique combination of skills and expertise in publishing,” said Matt Steinmetz, Publisher of Book Business and Publishing Executive. “She’s had a tremendously successful career across many aspects of the industry while demonstrating a knack for identifying and executing new business initiatives. We’re excited by the expertise she’ll be able to lend both brands—and their audiences—and we’re poised for strong growth across all of our various products.”

Comedy Central is taking its brand to bookstores. The network is launching a publishing imprint with Running Press (part of the Perseus Books Group) with plans to release everything from memoirs to joke and novelty books. The first title from Comedy Central Books will be a holiday themed novelty book from comedian/actor Denis Leary. It’s set to roll out in October with a multi-platform marketing push highlighted by a new Leary-headlined comedy special on the network the will be reminiscent of 2005's Merry F#%$in' Christmas.

Amid the gussied up romances, male action fables and screenplay-bound interpersonal dramas making up The New York Times’ trade fiction best-seller list, one book stands out like a corpse at a wedding. It’s called “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” currently the only book on the list to combine gory scenes of zombie mayhem with the romantic exploits of a beloved Victorian-era literary heroine. Nothing in the book world in recent months has made the kind of splash (or should we say, splatter) that this title has, from the frantic Internet buzz greeting the announcement in February of its publication to the huge sales following its release this spring. The book has even been added to the curriculum at several university English departments.

On his “Publishing 2020” blog, Joe Wikert, general manager of O’Reilly Media’s Technology Exchange Division, mused recently about the long-term viability of the closely watched deal between Borders and HarperStudio, whereby the bookstore chain will purchase HarperStudio titles at a 10-percent to 15-percent discount in exchange for accepting a no-returns agreement. As a result, Wikert wrote, Borders will probably be less aggressive with initial buys and could find itself out of stock in the face of a hit—not a good situation for either party. On the other hand, having to sell all of the books it purchases most likely means Borders will more aggressively market HarperStudio titles—just the sort of incentive lacking in the current system.

If distribution means getting books into the hands of sellers, circulators or readers, then a true profile of the distribution business would cast a wide net, beginning at the binding line and continuing through to the ‘long tail’ of online portals, used bookstores and curbside pushcarts. However, if distribution, from the publisher’s view, means getting books to generate sales revenue, we can overlook all of the aftermarket, recirculation and reselling channels and focus solely on reaching stores, libraries, online and catalog warehouses and—increasingly, thanks to the Internet—direct marketing from the publisher to the consumer. In the article “Deconstructing Distribution,” in Book Business’