BTW News Briefs

Print Book Production Numbers Slowed in ’13

Bowker Market Research has released the most recent data on print book production. The numbers for this report were gathered from Bowker’s bibliographic database, Books in Print.

According to Bowker, production of print books by traditional publishers slowed in the U.S. in 2013, declining from 309,957 titles in 2012 to an estimated 304,912 titles in 2013. Additional details regarding the genre sales of print books include:

• Nontraditional publishing composed of reprint houses specializing in public domain work, self-publishing presses, and “micro-niche” publications decreased in production this year by 46 percent (1,108,183 titles in 2013, versus 2,042,840 titles in 2012).
• Fiction and juvenile genres accounted for 27 percent of new titles and editions in 2013, an increase from 2012.
• The music genre is up by 24 percent this year, followed by science and technology.
• The top five book production categories this year are: fiction, juveniles, sociology and economics, science, and religion.

NEIBA, NAIBA Announce Rep Award Winners

The 2014 winner of the Saul Gilman Award for exceptional service as a sales representative for bookstores in the NEIBA region is Debra Woodward of Candlewick Press. Debra celebrates a 35-year career in the bookselling industry, during which she worked for Lauriat’s Books and Barnes & Noble before becoming a commission sales rep and moving on to represent Candlewick Press exclusively for New England.

NAIBA has named Workman Publishing’s Joe Ginis as the recipient of this year’s Helmuth Sales Representative of the Year Award. Those who nominated Ginis describe him as generous, supportive of his clients, and business minded. Ginis commented, “I don’t think of myself as a prideful person, but I am very proud of being chosen for the Helmuth honor. It means the world to me to be recognized for a job well done by people I respect so much.”

Study Shows Trends in Use of Educational Content Among Students, Faculty

The combined research from Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education, Volume 4, and the complementary study Faculty Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education, Volume 3, both available now from the Book Industry Study Group, indicates several trends in how educational content in multiple media formats plays a role in the academic lives of teachers and students:

• Students are gradually moving away from the use of core textbooks and learning management systems and increasing their use of online study guides;
• Students are continuing to acquire their course materials at the lowest cost possible, including through such illegal means as scanning and pirated downloads;
• Instructors are reporting higher levels of assigned textbooks than students, and the number of students purchasing required textbooks is even lower.

News Corp Finalizes Harlequin Acquisition

News Corp has finalized its acquisition of Harlequin Enterprises, the company announced on August 1. Harlequin was bought from Torstar Corporation and will remain headquartered in Toronto, operating as a division of HarperCollins.

“We are happy to welcome Harlequin staff and authors into the HarperCollins family and excited to work together to expand the breadth of our publishing activities into more than 30 languages,” said Brian Murray, CEO of HarperCollins. Harlequin has offices in 17 countries and its titles are circulated in 33 different languages in more than 100 international markets.

Simon & Schuster Introduces Video Series

Simon & Schuster has launched a video series called “Behind the Book From Simon & Schuster,” featuring editors and publishers talking about the behind-the-scenes information and professional insight surrounding the publication process of new and upcoming titles. Five videos, which have been shot by Simon & Schuster’s Studio4 video production facility, can be found on the company’s website and on their YouTube page.

Straus, Nurnberg Acquire Wallace Literary Agency

Robin Straus and Andrew Nurnberg have acquired the Wallace Literary Agency, formerly owned and operated by the late Lois Wallace, effective August 1. Both Straus and Nurnberg worked with Wallace throughout their careers and are pleased to be taking over the agency, they said in a statement. Straus operates the Robin Straus Agency in New York and Nurnberg the Andrew Nurnberg Associates in London. Both plan to continue with their own agencies.