HarperCollins Completes Purchase of HMH Trade
publishersweekly.com – Tuesday May 11, 2021
HarperCollins, the second largest trade publisher in the U.S., has completed its acquisition of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media. HC, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, agreed to buy the HMH trade division in March for $349 million.
In a letter to employees, HC CEO Brian Murray acknowledged that "many" decisions need to be made over the coming months surrounding the acquisition. Still, he noted that he has outlined an initial, temporary organizational plan that will be kept in place until a new, permanent structure has been conceived.
Town & Country UK magazine to close as publisher Hearst slashes jobs
cityam.com – Tuesday May 11, 2021
Town & Country UK magazine is set to fold as part of cost-cutting operation at publisher Hearst that will see up to a fifth of UK staff made redundant.
The luxury title, the British version of which was first published in 2014, is set to be scrapped as the company adapts to a decline in print media consumption.
The proposed move will also mean up to one in five UK staff face redundancy or will have their roles pooled. It is understood employees will be offered enhanced redundancy packages.
Hearst, whose UK titles include Cosmopolitan, Elle, Men’s Health and Good Housekeeping, has so far weathered the pandemic without making job cuts or using the furlough scheme.
Douglas Murray criticises transphobia letter, slamming 'left-wing bubble' of publishing
thebookseller.com – Monday May 10, 2021
Author Douglas Murray has criticised an open letter published in The Bookseller, which claimed UK book publishing is transphobic.
In the article for Unherd, a digital magazine which aims “to push back against the herd mentality with new and bold thinking”, Murray generally lamented the left-wing presence in UK publishing as well as criticising the letter urging acceptance of transgender rights published on 3rd May.
Murray's article, entitled "Publishing is now a Left-wing bubble", cited a US study comparing professions with voting preferences which showed 100% of those in publishing were left-wing. Murray, author of The Madness of Crowds (Bloomsbury) and associate editor of the Spectator, wrote: “To those with friends in publishing, despairing at the regular struggle session-style get-together they are now subjected to in which every conceivable centre-left political orthodoxy is celebrated, this is not a revelation. Although the survey in question is from the US, it is certain that a similar pattern can be found over here, too.”
GoodNovel hosts series of writing contests to strengthen author's creative welfare
prnewswire.com – Saturday May 8, 2021
GoodNovel, an international platform focusing on the creation of original online novels, has launched two writing contests – The Blessed Wolf and The CEO and Me – to celebrate its first anniversary. The two contests run till August and September, 2021 respectively and reach over 5 million readerships on the platform prospectively, with total prizes add up to over 40,000 dollars.
GoodNovel attracts readers from over 100 countries and authors from more than 50 countries. They are producing and consuming online stories in languages including English, French, Indonesian, Filipino, and Russian. Officially launched in April 2020, GoodNovel is featured as one of the Top3 reading Apps on Appstore and Google Play store ranked by grossing.
In the past year, GoodNovel has successfully held several writing contests on diversified topics, receiving thousands of works from online writing talents around the world, among which winning works received customized promotion and extra exposure. Correspondingly, winning stories gained great reputation for their edge over other novels and the authors also benefited greatly from their works.
Felicity Bryan Publishing Mentorship Scheme launched
thebookseller.com – Tuesday April 27, 2021
The Felicity Bryan Publishing Mentorship Scheme has been launched, created in honour of the renowned literary agent who died in June 2020.
An annual paid three-month mentorship programme, the scheme is aimed at anyone from an underrepresented background who is interested in pursuing a career in the publishing industry.
The mentee will be paid the Oxford Living Wage for the duration of the mentorship and there will be a stipend available to cover the cost of accommodation. The scheme is supported by Bryan's family, and “reflects her own energetic nurturing of talent and potential in young people starting out on their careers”.
Fast-Growing Independent Publishers, 2021
publishersweekly.com – Sunday April 25, 2021
Launched in 2013 to publish digital editions of out-of-print genre fiction from the 1960s and ’70s, Las Vegas’s Wolfpack Publishing reports that while revenue growth was steady in its first five years, its strongest growth was between 2018 and 2020. In this period, 90% of Wolfpack’s sales were books in digital formats. The company does things its own way, releasing titles weekly, president and CEO Mike Bray says, rather than seasonally. “We publish four to eight titles a week, both fresh stuff and reissues.”
Though Wolfpack’s list focuses on westerns, it has been supplementing its offerings with adventure, mystery, and historical fiction releases. And series are an essential component in its business model, publisher Rachel Del Grosso says, explaining, “When we are approached by any author or agent, the first thing we’re looking at is how many titles the author is bringing to the table. We invest in an author, not a single book.”
Literary Scammers are the Weirdest Scammers
insidehook.com – Tuesday April 20, 2021
Late last year, The New York Times recounted the tale of an odd case of impersonation. The article, written by Elizabeth A. Harris and Nicole Perlroth, recounted “a mysterious international phishing scam that has been tricking writers, editors, agents and anyone in their orbit into sharing unpublished book manuscripts.” Weird, right? Well, an even stranger scam has come to light in the literary world — though this one looks to be a bit more financially lucrative for whomever pulled it off.
Someone has been impersonating prize-winning writers in an effort to claim their winnings for themselves. And in a few cases, it’s worked.
Winchester Writers' Event to be virtual, says Sara Gangai
hampshirechronicle.co.uk – Sunday April 18, 2021
WINCHESTER Writers' Weekend is being held virtually once again after a successful inaugural event in 2020.
Originally planned to be held in the city in-person, director Sara Gangai decided it was safer to hold it online until Covid eases.
The event provides opportunities for writers to hone their craft, rub elbows with published authors and other writers, and meet one-to-one with literary agents for feedback.
Ms Gangai said: “Last year we had around 250 people take part in the event but this year bookings are already exceeding expectations as we have two amazing keynote speakers, including Diana Gabaldon, author of the hugely popular Outlander series, and Chris Riddell, best-selling children’s author/illustrator."
With no new edition of Writer's Market, writers are flooding to The Writers' Handbook
firstwriter.com – Wednesday April 14, 2021
In 2019, the publisher of Writer's Market, F+W Media, filed for bankruptcy. The last edition of Writer's Market was published the same year. It was called the "2020" edition, but in reality no edition was published in 2020, or since.
Janet Fillingham Associates rebrands to cement Weston partnership
thebookseller.com – Tuesday April 13, 2021
Literary, directors’ and composers’ agency Janet Fillingham Associates is rebranding to Fillingham Weston Associates (FWA), cementing a decade-long working relationship between agents Janet Fillingham and Kate Weston.
The move comes ahead of the agency’s 30 year-anniversary next year.
FWA will continue to represent writers, directors and composers in the fields of TV, film and theatre. Clients work across film and television drama, comedy drama and animation in the UK and overseas, as well as theatre including musical theatre and opera.
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