BTW News Briefs

Bloomsbury Buys Walker

On Wednesday, December 22, British publisher Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, announced that it had agreed to buy Walker Publishing Co. Inc., an independent publisher of adult nonfiction and children's books, as reported by the Associated Press. The deal, which Bloomsbury hopes will consolidate its position in the U.S. publishing market, is valued at $6.5 million, the AP article noted.

It is expected that Walker's operations will be merged with Bloomsbury's USA division, though "the book imprints of both companies will remain as separate units," AP reported.

Bloomsbury is the publisher of the Harry Potter series, and Walker is Isaac Asimov's publisher.

Lambda Literary Awards Gala Set for June 2

The Lambda Literary Foundation announced recently that the 2005 Lambda Literary Awards Gala will be hosted by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) at the CUNY Graduate Center and will take place June 2, 2005, in conjunction with BookExpo America.

"We are pleased and honored to have the opportunity to work with CLAGS," said Lambda Literary Foundation executive director Jim Marks. "As the first (and only) university-based research center in the U.S. dedicated to the study of historical, cultural, and political issues of vital concern to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals and communities, CLAGS has played a crucial role in creating the field of LGBT Studies and in fostering scholarship by and about sexual minorities."

The Lambda Literary Awards are selected through a three-part process. In the fall of each year, publishers and other agents nominate books for the awards. Following the close of the nomination period (December 17, 2004) five finalists in each of 20 categories will be chosen by two ad hoc committees of LGBT publishing industry professionals and other experts. Panels of judges in each category then select the Award recipients.

Online Shopping Season Increases 25 Percent in 2004

According to the latest holiday eSpending Report from Goldman, Sachs & Co., Harris Interactive, and Nielsen/NetRatings, online shoppers in the U.S. spent $23.2 billion during the 2004 holiday season, excluding travel. This reflects a 25 percent increase from the $18.5 billion spent online during the same time frame in 2003. According to the 2004 eSpending report, based on weekly surveys of more than 1,000 respondents, online consumers spent the most on apparel/clothing, totaling $3.8 billion, or 16 percent of total online revenue, during the 2004 holiday season. The toys/video games category was second with $2.5 billion, or 11 percent of online revenue, while the consumer electronics category rounded out the top three with $2.3 billion, or 10 percent of total online revenue.

According to the report, categories generating the highest year-over-year growth in holiday dollars included jewelry, flowers, and computer hardware/peripherals. Jewelry jumped 113 percent to $1.9 billion during the 2004 holiday season compared to the $888 million spent in 2003. Floral retailers experienced a 59 percent surge in online revenue to $530 million while computer hardware/peripherals increased 30 percent over last season, generating $2.1 billion in online revenue this year.

Several factors contributed to the success of online shopping in the 2004 holiday season. Similar to last year, the 2004 eSpending report indicated that 36 percent of respondents cited a preference to avoid crowds as the top reason to buy online rather than visit a store. Thirty-six percent also cited finding a lower price online was the reason they took to online shopping, while a wide product selection rounded out the top three reasons with 33 percent.

Michael Stearns to Join HarperCollins Children's Books

On January 4, HarperCollins Children's Books announced that it had named Michael Stearns editorial director and foreign acquisitions manager, effective January 10, 2005. Stearns will be replacing Alix Reid, who is leaving Harper to pursue academic study. Stearns was previously director of paperback publishing at Harcourt, where he also published frontlist hardcover novels and picture books.