Revenue

Biographies of political hopefuls typically see a significant bump in demand during presidential election years. But a sudden spike in orders wasn’t something Publisher Kent Sturgis expected for Epicenter Press’ 2008 biography of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Kaylene Johnson’s “Sarah: How a Hockey Mom turned Alaska’s Political Establishment Upside Down”—the one and only biography of the 44-year-old politician in print at the time. That all changed Friday, Aug. 29, when Sen. John McCain announced that Palin would be the Republican vice-presidential nominee. Almost immediately, Sturgis and his small publishing house, which consists of himself and three part-time employees, mobilized to meet the sudden, overwhelming

Random House Chairman and CEO Markus Dohle sent the following letter to his colleagues regarding the departure of Edward Volini, deputy chairman and chief operating officer: September 2, 2008 TO EVERYONE AT RANDOM HOUSE NORTH AMERICA, It is with great regret that I inform you that EDWARD VOLINI has decided to step down as Deputy Chairman and Chief Operating Officer and will leave the company effective September 30. Ed has had a very distinguished career at Random House, beginning in May 1997 at Ballantine Books, where he rose to Executive Vice President, Deputy Publisher. Since 2001, he has played a crucial

Like many parents of elementary-school-age children, I spend a fair amount of time around trains. Steam, cog or narrow-gauge, I am no stranger to the iron horse. Perhaps that explains the frequency of my use of railroad metaphors. This column is no exception. To realize the full potential of digital technology in product development and marketing, content organizations will continue to evolve over a long period of time. This journey can be represented as a railroad track with parallel rails. These rails are necessary to move forward and stay on course. But unfamiliarity with the track can have deadly consequences. The First Rail:

With its new Web site, HBG has established an infrastructure for digital development, says COO Beth Ford. With close to one year on the job, Hachette Book Group (HBG) Chief Operating Officer Beth Ford continues to work toward increasing efficiencies—and profits—for owner Hachette Livre, who purchased the publishing company from Time Warner in March 2006. Ford, who joined HBG last September after serving seven years as Scholastic’s senior vice president of global operations and information technology, dove right in by reviewing the publisher’s processes and identifying “gaps” that needed to be filled. It’s a full plate of responsibilities—one Ford relishes, she says.

The privately held Bertelsmann AG, which owns Random House, announced its corporate and divisional half-year results Thursday, reportedly earning 284 million euros (US$546.3 million) from January to June, compared to a loss of 51 million euros (US$74.9 million) a year earlier. In a letter dated August 28, Markus Dohle, who took over as chairman and CEO of Random House on June 1, addressed his colleagues regarding Random House’s performance. He reported decreased operating revenue and profits from the previous year, due in part to the weak U.S. dollar and British pound, and increased freight and paper costs. He also noted that e-book revenue in

Nyack, N.Y.-based Flat World Knowledge, which launched this month, publishes free and open college textbooks online, with the option to purchase alternate formats of its content, including print and audio, and other study aids. While offering university-level course material gratis on the Web is not a newfangled idea in the higher-education realm, there are big differences from previous efforts—there’s no advertising within the text pages, nor is there a trial period with hidden fees. There isn’t even any registration required for users. Flat World Knowledge is a publishing company, not an aggregator of other publishers’ titles, says Eric Frank, co-founder and chief marketing officer.

Audible Inc. and the New York Center for Independent Publishing (CIP) have announced a new imprint, Audible IndieFirst. The imprint will publish original works from independent publishers in digital audio format one month prior to the release of the print edition. Audible and CIP previously issued a call for manuscripts from independent publishers, asking them to identify their best and most promising upcoming titles for consideration in the Audible IndieFirst program. From the submissions, Audible has selected a number of upcoming titles to publish in audio, the first of which is Joe Meno’s “Demons in the Spring,” published by Akashic Books. All audiobooks will

The deadline for speaker submissions for the 2009 Publishing Business Conference and Expo has been extended until Friday, August 22. The 2009 Publishing Business Conference, produced by Publishing Executive and Book Business magazines, is March 23-25 at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square. We are looking for qualified speakers to share their expertise on a wide range of business management, technology, marketing, distribution, manufacturing, production, and other issues related to magazine and book publishing. All submissions must be sent to Matt Steinmetz, conference program editor, at MSteinmetz@NAPCO.com by Friday, August 22. As the vast majority of our speakers each year are magazine and

Many would consider Harlequin Enterprises Publisher and CEO Donna Hayes an innovator. Not only is she the first woman to head the Canadian-based company, a position she has held for the past five years, but under Hayes’ leadership, Harlequin has consistently made industry headlines for its willingness to experiment in all areas of the book-publishing business—from joining forces with Nascar in 2006 for a series of stock car-themed novels to signing an exclusive deal to partner with Audible.com for digital audiobook distribution of its titles. Harlequin also was the first major publisher to offer its entire front list in e-book format, and has further

The Web is an ever-changing animal. Keeping that in mind, the most successful online marketing executives must think in the future tense: coming up with inventive, original ideas to help publishers stay ahead of the game. Jeff Yamaguchi, associate director of online marketing for Random House Inc. division The Doubleday Publishing Group, is one such innovator, and he fills us in on a little secret—that the future tense is not enough. In June, Yamaguchi launched Doubleday’s newly revamped Web site, which uses a WordPress platform to simulate the look and usability of a blog while maintaining Doubleday’s integrity and standards as a