Industry News

By Megan DiMaria

Welcome to the lazy days of summer and the June roundup of publishing industry news.

• The standoff continues for Amazon vs. Hachette Book Group. Amazon delays delivery of Hachette’s books to customers. The move is believed to be related to the dispute over eBook pricing. For more info . . . 
• Meanwhile, Amazon’s “bullying” of Hachette is the talk of BEA. For more info . . . 
• And, standing up for authors, the Association of Authors' Representatives pens a letter to Amazon. For more info . . . 
• Marcher Lord Press gets a new name/new brand--Enclave Publishing. For more info . . .
• Good news for independent booksellers—indie stores are on the rise! For more info . . . 
• Faithhappenings.com launches! Serving the Christian community nationwide, but within local areas, this one-stop resource will also connect authors and speakers to their audience.
• Following a ruling favoring HarperCollins, their attorneys are seeking $1 million+ and requesting a permanent injunction blocking Open Road from publishing its e-book edition of Jean Craighead George’s Julie of the Wolves. For more info . . . 
• Hoopla gets into library e-book lending with an instantly available, transactional model of doing business. For more info . . . 
• Sales of graphic novels rise. For more info . . . 
• St. Martin’s Press partners with Swagbucks to launch Read, a new digital literature channel. For more info . . . 
• Believers Press, a Christian self-publisher, to acquire publishing and PR firm Glass Road Media. For more info . . . 
• Another indie bookstore is on the market, 18-year-old Willow Books and Café in Acton, Mass. For more info . . . 
• And another bookstore’s just been sold, Eight Cousins Bookstore in Falmouth. For more info . . . 
• Digital media company Wowio launches a new mobile version of its e-book distribution platform. For more info . . . 
• Interested in owning a piece of literary history? Ray Bradbury’s long-time home is on the market. For more info . . . 
• Simon & Schuster partners with subscription e-book services Oyster and Scribd (think Netflix for books) to make 10,000 of its backlist e-books available to subscribers. For more info . . . http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2014/05/21/simon-schuster-goes-digital-as-two-startups-score-a-big-five-publisher/
• Oyster also added an additional 500 publishing partners. For more info . . . 
• Smashword, an e-book self-publishing platform, and digital library vendor OverDrive Ink enter distribution agreement. For more info . . . 
• PW introduces BookLife, a new website for self-publishers. For more info . . . 
• WaterBrook Multnomah resigns its membership in the National Religious Broadcasters following controversy over “God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships.” For more info . . . 
• Tim Duggan, editor at HarperCollins, heads to Crown to lead the Tim Duggan Books imprint of fiction and non-fiction books. For more info .. . 
• CBA State of the Industry Report says Christian stores sales were up but so were store closings. For more info . . . 
• However, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, bookstore sales fell 7.8% in March, compared to the same month last year, dropping to $683 million. For more info . . . 
• The Independent Publishers Association announces the winners of its 2014 IPPY Awards. For more info . . . 
• The Oregon Christian Writers announce 2014 Cascade Writing Contest finalists. For more info . . . 
• The Author’s Alliance, another author advocacy group, launches. For more info . . . 
• Thanks to the Divergent series, profits at HarperCollins jump. For more info . . . 
• First quarter sales fell, yet earnings rose for Simon & Schuster. For more info . . . 
• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s trade publishing division’s sales fell 20% in the first quarter. For more info . . . 
• First quarter sales down for Harlequin. For more info . . . 
• Recorded Books Inc. expands their presence in the trade market with the purchase of audiobook imprint HighBridge Audio. For more info . . . 
• And in the continuing Apple price-fixing case—Judge Denis Cote intends to see Apple pay damages after determining they are liable in an alleged e-book price-fixing conspiracy, but lawyers have made a new bid the damage award. For more info . . . 
• James Patterson continues to grant $$$ to independent booksellers who promote children’s books. For more info . . . 

Megan DiMaria is Novel Rocket’s industry news columnist. An author and speaker, she enjoys cheering on writers and loves to encourage others as they journey through life’s demands and delights. Megan is the author of two women’s fiction novels, Searching for Spice and Out of Her Hands.