Book Publishing News April 21, 2017

Book Publishing NewsSimon & Schuster Closes Tyrus Books imprint, Relocates Howard Books

Simon & Schuster shut down its Tyrus Books imprint in early April. Benjamin LeRoy, the founder and publisher of Tyrus, announced the news on social media. LeRoy tweeted to his followers, “Hey! For all the folks who know me as Tyrus Books, Tyrus is closing down and now you can just know me as some dude on Twitter.” Tyrus was included in Simon & Schuster’s acquisition last year of Adams Media from F+W. Simon & Schuster will continue to handle the Tyrus backlist.

How Many Kindle Unlimited Subscribers Are There?
(And How Does KU’s Growth Impact Your Book Sales)?

How many Kindle Unlimited Subscribers are there? Amazon has never released the total number of KU subscribers, however, by working the formula backwards, Written Word Media estimates the number could be as high as 2.5 million readers. How many books does a KU subscriber read? Again, Written Word estimates the number may be as many as 20 books per month! Read how the growth of Amazon’s subscription model is changing the market for ebook sales.

HarperCollins Christian Publishing Shifts Publishing Programs

HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP) announced April 11 three changes within its publishing programs. Daisy Hutton is being promoted to vice president and publisher for the W Publishing Group, a nonfiction imprint of Thomas Nelson.  Hutton has been the company’s fiction publisher for Thomas Nelson and Zondervan books for the past five years. Read the full story.

Where Will the Growth in Sales Come in 2017?

  • Number of retailer bankruptcies in 2016: 9
  • Number of retailer bankruptcies in 2017 so far: 9
  • Growth of online retail sales during the 2016 holiday season, versus 2015: 20% (Source: Washington Post)

Look for Amazon to continue to gain market share at the expense of brick and mortar stores.

Tips for Marketing Your Book

Author Kristine Rusch discusses email newsletter strategy. Learn the difference between old school newsletters and ad circulars. Take heart! You’re not the only one who feels undersized against the book-marketing monster.

“I feel completely inadequate,” Rusch says. “Then I feel like I’d better hurry to catch up. Finally, I crawl into my office and get back to the work in progress. I don’t feel overwhelmed when I think about fiction writing. I feel completely overwhelmed when I focus on the “shoulds” of marketing.

Read at Rusch’s blog on newsletters.