PW Daily

In This Issue: Monday, August 14, 2006 Past Issues
Drugan to Leave NEBA
Soft U.S. Results Hurt Quarto
Miami University Press Sets Novella Prize
On Sale Next Week, Three Answers, Authors on the Air
 
Drugan to Leave NEBA
Due to illness, Rusty Drugan is stepping down as executive director of the New England Booksellers Association, a position he has held since 1992. In an e-mail announcement to the NEBA membership, board president Allan Schmid, owner of Books, Etc., in Portland and Falmouth, Me., said that Drugan would stay on until a successor is named. He did not name a date, but anticipated that it would be some time after next month's annual trade show. The board is currently setting up a search committee.

 
Soft U.S. Results Hurt Quarto
by Jim Milliot
U.K-based publisher and packager Quarto Group had a mixed start to 2006, with sales inching up from £38.2 million last year to £38.3 million ($70 million), but operating income jumped 127%,to £2.0 million. The gains came entirely from the company’s international co-edition unit which reported a 4% sales gain and a 140% increase in operating income. Sales in the publishing segment, however, fell 2% and profits were off by 24%. While some of the sales decline was the result of the sale of some U.K. magazines, Quarto said the weak performance also reflected sluggish U.S. book sales. The majority of Quarto’s U.S. book sales come through its Quayside group, which includes Creative Publishing international, acquired in 2004.

In his letter to shareholders, Quarto chairman Laurence Orbach said sales of its home improvement titles had been hurt by distribution issues at Home Depot, while sales of its arts and crafts titles had been slowed by several issues at Michaels, including a change in its primary book distributor. The chain has also recently been sold. Sales of art books were down and sales at its promotional publisher Book Sales, fell by 25%.

Orbach was cautious about prospect for the balance of the year, pointing to a sluggish retail market in the U.S. as a top concern. Nevertheless, Quarto has no plans to cut back on its title output, he said, and while profit growth is expected to slow in the second half of the year, the company should meet its financial targets.

ADVERTISEMENT
From Essence bestseller Mary Monroe—Annette and Rhoda have weathered secrets, lies, even murder, but the threat they face now may destroy their friendship forever.
www.kensingtonbooks.com



 
Miami University Press Sets Novella Prize
by Edward Nawotka
When exactly does a short story become a novella?

According to the Miami University Press in Oxford, Ohio, it's any piece of fiction that is "short enough to be read at a single sustained sitting" and between 18,000 and 40,000 words. The press, in an effort to promote a writing form that it says "falls between the cracks of short story collections and novels and wind up being published--if at all--not as individual volumes but as part of a collection of stories," has established an annual $1,000 prize just for novellas.

The first winner is "The Waiting Room" by Albert Sgambati, which describes the relationship between a male street performer, who cruises bars in disguise, and a manipulative, street-wise teenage girl. Miami University Press will publish it this September.

Submissions for the second prize are being accepted now and must be postmarked by October 15. More information is online at the Miami University Press' website.



ADVERTISEMENT
Click Here for more information  
 
Senior Manager		  
Random House, Inc.
New York, NY

The RH Children's Publishing Group seeks a Senior Manager to work with the Production division.
read on

16 jobs were posted in the last seven days!
See all available jobs.

  


On Sale Next Week
  The Afghan by Frederick Forsyth
Christopher Paolini fans, who'll soon see the young author's Eragon get the big screen treatment in December, can whet their appetites with this week's bells and whistles version of his sequel to that book, Knopf's Eldest Deluxe Edition. Also out this week is a new title from The Day of the Jackal author Frederick Forsyth.
read on


Three Answers
  Janice Taylor
Three Answers from Janice Taylor, whose Our Lady of Weight Loss: Miraculous and Motivational Musings from the Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal will be published by Viking Studio on August 17.
read on


Authors on the Air
  Making Pianos; Guiding Artists; Remembering the Pen
James Barron; Nora Ephron; Anna Deavere Smith; Wendy Kann; Tommy Chong; Ramesh Ponnuru; Peniel E. Joseph.
read on


Picture of the Day
  Getting Graphic Downtown
Warner senior editor Jaime levine (l.) along with writer Anthony Lappé (c.) and artist Dan Goldman, creators of the acclaimed webcomic (which was recently acquired for book publication by Levine), at a party celebrating Warner graphic novels last Friday night in downtown NYC. Culture critic Douglas Rushkoff's new graphic novel Testament from DC/Vertigo was also celebrated.
see more pictures
submit your photos and be the picture of the day!


About PW Daily

PW Daily is also available as an RSS Feed.
Click here for more information.

Subscribe to PW Daily
Unsubscribe from PW Daily

Read past issues of the newsletter.

Read our Updated Privacy Policy

To subscribe to Publishers Weekly, or to learn more about our subscription package, click here

If your links aren't working, you can view this newsletter by copy and pasting the following URL
into your browser:
publishersweekly.com/eNewsletter/CA6362236/2789.html?nid=2286

Advertising information
Editorial inquiries

For all other questions, contact:
Online Support Team
Reed Business Information
2000 Clearwater Drive, Oak Brook, IL 60523
eletters@reedbusiness.com

© 2006 Reed Business Information
ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING
Advertisements