Product Launches

Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has had a decent reception in its return to the public markets, with a solid gain since its November 2013 initial public offering. The company was a victim of the changes sweeping the book-publishing business, including a shift to digital distribution delivered via e-readers and tablets, which has generally led to lower product pricing and profit compression for publishers. After a trip through bankruptcy court in 2012, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has reemerged more focused and lighter, having rid itself of close to $3 billion in debt. So, is it a worthwhile play for investors?

For the past few years, the publishing industry has spent a long time gazing into an abyss of ever lower pricing and THE DEATH OF THE PRINTED BOOK. Doom and gloom abounded, and even when growth could be seen, there was tentativeness towards proclaiming the green shoots. However, in 2013, something altered. 

HarperCollins UK has seen a 66% drop in profits for the year ending 30th June 2013, according to results filed with Companies House. Pre-tax profits at the publisher dropped from £8.3m in 2012 to £2.8m in 2013, a decline of 66%. Profit after tax stood at £1.07m, falling  80% from £5.3m. HarperCollins has attributed the decline in profits to costs incurred by a change in its distribution system.

2013 has seen a drastic rise in requests to ban books - especially those about race or sexuality - from schools. The Kids' Right to Read Project (KRRP), which is part of the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), says that, in the past year, it has investigated 49 book bannings or removals of books from shelves in 29 states, a 53 percent increase from the year before.

When I picked up the current Scientific American my eye was immediately drawn to the cover line, "Google Is Changing the Way You Think." Given the sensationalist tone that often accompanies explorations of how Internet use affects cognition, the article was a measured summation of studies that indicate a) we often go online to answer questions we used to ask friends and b) relying on the Internet for information we or our friends used to remember means while we have access to more information than ever, we know less.

In a trendy coffee shop called Elixr, on a side street off of Philadelphia’s toney Rittenhouse Square, there is funky décor, loud music, strong coffee, and, by the door, a small vending machine. From this machine, for two dollars, one can purchase not cigarettes or candy or any of those other typically unhealthy vending machine wares, but, instead, a short story.

A recent poll conducted by YouGov and theHuffington Post suggests that Americans tend to feel that scientists alter how their findings are reported to suit political or sponsor priorities, yet feel strongly that science in the abstract is a force for good. The public also doubts that science journalists are reporting scientific findings accurately, with the poll suggesting skepticism about the influence of politics and funders here, as well.

As 2013 draws to a close, it's time for a quick look at the state of The Scholarly Kitchen. Pardon us this indulgent navel-gazing, it's in the nature of blogs and social media in general to spend a certain amount of time staring admirably at oneself in the mirror.

Forty-four years ago this month, in December 1969, I quit my job as a manager of a bookstore in New York City's Greenwich Village and began to write the Anarchist Cookbook. My motivation at the time was simple; I was being actively pursued by the US military, who seemed single-mindedly determined to send me to fight, and possibly die, in Vietnam. I wanted to publish something that would express my anger. It seems that I succeeded in ways that far exceeded what I imagined possible at the time.

In a move highlighting the increasing role that user-generated content plays in the news business, News Corporation, owner of The Wall Street Journal, announced on Friday that it had bought Storyful, a company that calls itself a "social news" agency.

Storyful, a self-described "social news" agency, sifts online content and sends authenticated reports and videos to its clients.

Storyful monitors websites like Instagram and YouTube for compelling news and video, has its journalists confirm the material's authenticity, and distributes it to clients in newsrooms around the world.