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Igloo Books Building U.S. Presence
Having grown revenue to just under £20 million since its launch in 2003 to the year ended March 31, 2012, largely on the strength of inexpensive children’s and adult print books, Igloo Books, based in Northamptonshire, England, is looking to digital and international markets to drive its next round of growth. Although the U.S. accounted for about 20% of its total sales in fiscal 2012, the company just added Doug Pocock, most recently with Egmont USA, to help expand sales in America. Pocock joins Jonny Illingworth and Jennifer Harrison to spend about half of their time in the States talking to accounts, said John Styring, Igloo CEO. His goal for the current year is to hit £8 million in sales in the U.S., something Styring believes can be achieved by expanding into more mass merchants. Igloo has a good presence in Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, but is not as strong among the mass merchandisers in the U.S. as in the U.K. “We have a strong relationship with Wal-Mart in the U.K.,” Styring noted.
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Adapting to Conditions: Canadian Publishing 2012
The publishing business mirrors the natural world in many ways: it’s a fertile, creative process influenced by myriad conditions, some as unpredictable and unforgiving as weather. The coming of the e-book and digital publishing to the Canadian book industry can be compared to the approach of climate change.
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English-Language Publishers in Québec: Publishing in Quebec 2012
Contemplating Canada’s publishing industry, most publishers located outside the country think of Toronto, especially when it comes to English-language books. Few realize that there is a small group of independent, English-language publishers hailing from the one Canadian province usually associated with the French language: Québec.
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Case Study: Publishing in Quebec 2012
If there were ever a case that illustrates the quality, diversity, and innovation of Québec publishing, it’s the Dictionnaire Visuel, or Visual Dictionary, published by QA International. Since its first French edition in 1986, the Visual Dictionary has been published in more than 35 languages, in more than 100 countries, selling more than eight million copies. What’s more, the world’s largest publishers, including Merriam-Webster, have become QAI’s international partners.
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Translation: Publishing in Quebec 2012
Cooperation. Balance. Business. Erwan Leseul does business the way he leads his life: everything in its right place. Vice president of publishing at Les Éditions de l’Homme, Québec’s venerable publishing house, Erwan Leseul doesn’t own a bookcase: “My professional life is brimming with books. Once I have read a book, I don’t hold on to it, I give it to someone else or I abandon the book on a park bench so that it finds its way into someone else’s hands.”
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Québec’s Digital Book Warehouse: Publishing in Quebec 2012
Every minute, a title is added—5150 rue des Ormes, I Hate Hockey, L’envers de l’assiette, À fleur de peau; every hour, a new author is categorized—Patrick Senécal, François Barcelo, Laure Waridel, Martine Latulippe; every day, a new publisher signs on—Alire, Baraka Books, Écosociété, Québec Amérique. The clock never stops ticking, the megabytes fill the cybernetic void. The e-book warehouse club is jumping.
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The International Play: Publishing in Quebec 2012
This vast French-speaking territory located north of New England that receives, year in, year out, some 500,000 American tourists—some of whom visit its capital, Québec City; others, its metropolis, Montréal—has produced an impressive list of stars and international cultural successes. Children all over the world know Caillou, the star of the eponymous book series. Teenagers on all seven continents sing and dance to the music of Simple Plan; and the whole world can appreciate the success of Céline Dion, the Cirque du Soleil, Robert Lepage… not to mention the triumphs of the province’s movie industry, including the Oscar-winning Les invasions barbares (The Barbarian Invasions).
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Made-in-Québec Book Chain Discounts Bibliothèques a Book Culture: Publishing in Quebec 2012
There was a time in the French-speaking province of Québec when illiteracy ran rampant and books and libraries were scarce and subject to moral censure. In those early days, one of the first Church-controlled publishing houses saw fit to issue a moral rating system for books. “For my part,” recalls Denis Vaugeois in his ode to books and publishing entitled L’amour du livre (For the love of books), “I would stop at the youth library every day and pile up on books for myself and some of the boarders at school; we devoured books. And I remember, I would always have to go to the principal’s office to have my reading material approved.”
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Québec: An Overview: Publishing in Quebec 2012
Jack Kerouac, whose parents hailed from Québec and whose ancestors included Indian men and women, is considered by some to be a Québec writer in exile. Kerouac is known to have said that he “refashioned English to fit French images,” and his quest for recognition as being indigenous to North America could be a metaphor for Québec. The only difference is that most of those French images are now well rendered in French, thanks to a vibrant publishing industry that has flourished since the late 1960s.
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Content Services 2012: Evolving Math and Science Book Production Services
Before the 1990s, publishers looked at India only for straightforward science and math book production for the higher-ed and professional segments. Inquiries for math and science textbooks were rare. Then slowly things changed, starting with school publishers approaching vendors such as Chennai-based diacriTech to produce supplementary materials.
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HarperCollins Canada Launches New Imprint
HarperCollins Canada launches new imprint, hires former Thomas Allen & Son publisher Patrick Crean
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Big Hits Keep Selling Well
Swedish crime writer Camilla Läckberg has seen international success since releasing her 2003 debut, Ice Princess (published in 2010 by Pegasus), and to date her books have been translated into 33 languages. In France, her 2008 novel The Drowning was the top title. Earlier this year, Pegasus published another of her novels, The Stonecutter.
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Content Services 2012: The Challenge in Text Permissions
In publishing, imitation is definitely not the best form of flattery. In fact, using another person's work—be it a small paragraph or an obscure quote—without proper permission may lead to copyright litigation.
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More Paperwork for Toy Manufacturers
It is hard to believe but there is a new regulation out there that demands even stricter product documentation than the CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) for children's products. Say hello to the 2009/48/EC Toy Safety Directive (TSD), effective July 2011, which applies to all toy manufacturers exporting to the European market.
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Ongoing Coverage of the Asian Print Industry
In conjunction with the Printing in Hong Kong 2012 print report (published on August 6), PW will continue to add new articles relevant to the Asian printing industry.
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Is Rowling Tarnishing Her Rep Abroad over Piracy Fears?
If you’re a Slovenian fan of J.K. Rowling, and you’re eager to get your hands on the first available copy of her forthcoming novel, The Casual Vacancy, you’re probably going to have to read the book in English. This will also be the case in Italy, Finland, and several other countries. And the reason is that Rowling’s team has made an unusual move: they are delaying the delivery of the manuscript to a handful of foreign publishers over concerns about piracy.
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Fifty Shades Goes International
It turns out the Fifty Shades craze is not restricted to the U.S. On all three charts tracked this month, E.L. James’s blockbuster book placed high on the list. In Spain and Italy, where Fifty Shades of Grey debuted in June, it landed at #1 and #2, respectively. In the Netherlands, the book jumped to second place from #13.
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Hachette UK Opening Hong Kong Sales Office
Hachette UK is opening a sales office in China that will cover Southeast Asia. The new Hong Kong office, which will cover the entire region (save Singapore, Malaysia and China), will be overseen by new hire Paul Kenny
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Beacon to Publish First Tweet Book: Tweet Land of Liberty
A party sponsored by Boston’s independent writing center, Grub Street, leads to Beacon Press’s first Tweet book and Elinor Lipman's first almost-instant book.
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New Leadership Team at RH Australia and New Zealand
Margie Seale, managing director of Random House Australia and New Zealand, as well as president of Asia Development Random House Inc., is stepping down. With her departure, the publisher has created a new ANZ leadership team that will be overseen by Andrew Davis and Karen Ferns.
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