Plymouth

Direct-selling to institutions by publishers proved a thorny issue at the Bookseller Association's Academic, Professional and Specialist conference in Brighton yesterday (12th March).

Giving a welcoming address at the event at the Old Ship Hotel, Dan Johns [pictured], the chairman of the BA's academic group, warned he would stop providing publishers with vital information if they continued to sell directly to universities.

THE Plymouth International Book Festival has revealed a star studded line up. Organisers say the event will raise the city's profile and engage with all types of readers. Pulling in authors with a world-wide reputation would give the celebration a reach beyond Britain, said Tracey Guiry of festival partner Literature Works. And festival director Bertel Martin said the careful choice of writers, venues and mix of events would ensure that habitual readers and less-confident ones will be attracted.

Macmillan has acquired the Plymouth, Mich.-based Hayden-McNeil Publishing, a publisher of custom textbooks and lab manuals for the higher education market. The acquisition adds to Macmillan’s portfolio of higher education publishers, which includes Bedford St. Martin’s, W.H. Freeman and Worth Publishers. Hayden-McNeil works with authors and institutions to produce custom-created products that are tailored to the needs of individual schools and student populations. According to Macmillan, Hayden-McNeil has been experiencing rapid growth as demand has accelerated for customized educational media and materials. “The merger with Macmillan is expected to provide Hayden-McNeil with a platform for future growth by delivering the added reach and resources