Announcement: The blog will be going on vacation next week to get some much-needed sun and stretch its circuits, but it hopes to be tanned and refreshed when it returns on June 25th.
And now, this week in publishing:
So remember way back in the old days when This Week in Publishing was almost solely devoted to AMS’s bankruptcy and the fall-out with PGW? (I know, I blocked out those posts too.) Well, unfortunately it has had some real effects on publishers, including on McSweeney’s, which is out $130,000. So, if there are any billionaires reading the blog, please reach into your couch cushions for those pesky $1,000 bills that always fall in the cracks, cash in your change jar and send it on over to McSweeney’s. You can also buy stuff on their website.
As linked to by Publishers Lunch, Jeff Bezos doesn’t think Amazon will make money on the new HARRY POTTER book. If a book sells millions of copies and booksellers don’t make a profit does it make a sound?
In new-imprint news, editor extraordinaire Amy Einhorn is moving over to Putnam and will have her own imprint called, fittingly enough, Amy Einhorn Books.
And finally, Chinua Achebe, winner of Nathan Bransford’s award for Best Book Title for his novel THINGS FALL APART, won the Man Booker International Prize this week for his distinguished career. I wonder which one he’s more excited about?
Have a great week! See you on the 25th.
Harry Potter is a loss leader???? Wow.
Have fun! See you when you get back!
I can’t imagine Amazon not making a profit on anything.I mean, there has to be a silver lining for them somewhere, despite all the pre-order discounts and free shipping…Kind of like in Miracle on 34th Street–Macy’s tells shoppers where to go to get the best deal on something, and in the end, inspire customer loyalty which generates return business and more profit? That kind of thing?
Happy Summer Solstice!