WHERE BOOKS ARE BOUGHT
Nielsen Market Research has released its latest breakdown of book sales by format and channel. Most books are still purchased in physical stores, with online retailers accounting for just 41% of all new book sales. Chain stores are dominant among physical retailers, making up 22% of new book sales, and out perform online stores in most print categories, with 29% of hardcovers, 31% of trade paperbacks, and 28% of mass markets sold in chains. They also sell 10% of audiobooks, and 1% of e-books. Online retailers are close, though (and surpassing in some formats), with 28% of hardcovers, 32% of trade paperbacks, 20% of mass markets, 25% of audio, and 92% of e-books sold online. Mass merchandisers move 10% of hardcovers, 9% of trade paperbacks, 17% of mass markets, and 2% of audiobooks. Other trade stores sell 9% of hardcovers, 10% of trade paperbacks, 8% of mass markets, and 4% of audiobooks. Book clubs are a major player in audio, with 44% of audiobook sales, and respectable numbers elsewhere, accounting for 7% of hardcovers, 3% of trade paperbacks, and 8% of mass markets. Other direct-to-consumer channels, supermarkets, warehouse clubs, trade stores, and other retailers divide up the remainder.
Among the online stores, Amazon is dominant, with research by the Codex Group estimating that Amazon sold 67% of e-books and 64% of print books bought online in March 2014.
FORBES’S TOP-EARNING AUTHORS
Forbes released its list of top-earning authors for the past 12 months, and SF/F authors make up over half the list, taking nine of the 17 slots. Authors of genre interest are: 1. James Patterson: $90 million. 2. Dan Brown: $28 million. 3. Nora Roberts: $23 million. 7. Veronica Roth: $17 million. 9. Stephen King: $17 million. 10. Suzanne Collins: $16 million. 11. J.K. Rowling: $14 million. 12. George R.R. Martin: $12 million. 14. Rick Riordan: $10 million. E.L. James, whose erotic Shades of Grey series began life as fanfic of Stephenie Meyers’s Twilight series, came in at #15 with $10 million. For the entire list, see the
FUTURE LIBRARY
Scottish artist Katie Paterson has launched a century-long literary art project, Future Library. The project began with the planting of 1,000 trees in Nordmarka Sweden. In 100 years, those trees will be cut down to provide the paper for a unique anthology of 100 works. Each year, beginning in 2014, one writer will be invited to contribute a text, which will then be held in a special room at the New Public Deichmanske Library in Oslo, unread by anyone until its eventual publication in 2114.
Margaret Atwood, the first author to contribute, told the Guardian, ‘‘I think it goes right back to that phase of our childhood when we used to bury little things in the backyard, hoping that someone would dig them up, long in the future, and say, ‘How interesting, this rusty old piece of tin, this little sack of marbles is. I wonder who put it there?’… When you write any book you do not know who’s going to read it, and you do not know when they’re going to read it. You don’t know who they will be, you don’t know their age, or gender, or nationality, or anything else about them. So books, anyway, really are like the message in the bottle.’’ She did speculate that future readers might require ‘‘a paleo-anthropologist to translate some of it for them… language of course will have changed over those 100 years. Maybe not so much as it changed between say 1400 and now, but it will have changed somewhat.’’ She declined to reveal any details about the story, as the project does not allow it, ‘‘but I will say that I’ve bought some special archival paper, which will not decay in its sealed box over 100 years.’’
Paterson said, ‘‘For some writers I think it could be an incredible freedom – they can write whatever they like, from a short story to a novel, in any language and any context….We’re just asking that it be on the theme of imagination and time, which they can take in so many directions. I think it’s important that the writing reflects maybe something of this moment in time, so when future readers open the book, they will have some kind of reflection of how we were living in this moment.’’ She explains that her project ‘‘has nature, the environment at its core – and involves ecology, the interconnectedness of things, those living now and still to come. It questions the present tendency to think in short bursts of time, making decisions only for us living now.’’
For more:
E-BOOKS IN THE BATHTUB
Kobo has launched the Kobo Aura H2O, a new waterproof ereader. Like other Kobo readers, this one uses digital e-ink technology, but this one can be submerged in water for up to half an hour without damage. The tablet will have a suggested retail price of $179.99. Kobo president Michael Tamblyn explained that market research indicated that more than 60% of their customers wanted to be able to read in the water.
B&N NEWS
Barnes & Noble has released a new version of the Nook, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Book, which retails for $199 (with a $20 instant rebate).
The company is experimenting with the Espresso Book Machine, which produces print-on-demand books for customers while they wait, with machines installed in three locations: the New York City store at Union Square, the store in Paramus NJ, and the store in Willow Grove PA.
B&N announced a partnership with new service Google Shopping to offer same-day book delivery in Manhattan, West Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
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AWARDS NEWS
The Sunburst Award Society has announced the winners of the Copper Cylinder Awards. The Adult Award winner is River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay (Penguin Canada). The Young Adult Award winner is Homeland by Cory Doctorow (Tor). The Copper Cylinder is an annual award, with winners selected by members of the Sunburst Award Society, for books published the previous year. The award’s name comes from the first Canadian scientific romance, ‘‘A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder’’ by James De Mille. The winners receive a handcrafted copper cylinder trophy.
Winners of the first annual Baen Fantasy Adventure Awards were announced August 16, 2014, at Gen Con in Indianapolis IN. Grand Prize: ‘‘The Golden Knight’’, K.D. Julicher. First Runner-up: ‘‘Phoenix for the Amateur Chef’’, Scott Huggins. Second Runner-up: ‘‘The Girl with No Name’’, Travis Heermann. The contest focused on adventure fantasy short stories of 8,000 words or fewer. Baen editors judged the entries, with final entries also judged by Larry Correia. The grand prize included publication as a featured story on the Baen website, an engraved award, and an assortment of Baen books.
The European Science Fiction Society (ESFS) Hall of Fame Awards and Spirit of Dedication Awards winners were announced at Shamrokon, the 36th Eurocon, on August 24, 2014 in Dublin, Ireland. Jim Fitzpatrick (Ireland) was named European Grandmaster. The Hall of Fame awards, given to people who have an impact beyond their own country follow. Best Author: Wolfgang Jeschke (Germany). Best Translator: Ms. Kersti Juva (Finland). Best Promoter: Dave Lally (Ireland). Best Magazine: Cosmoport (Belarus). Best Publisher: Angry Robot (United Kingdom). Best Artist: Jim Fitzpatrick (Ireland). The following awards are given for works and performances produced since the prior Eurocon. Artist: Alexander Prodan (Ukraine). Best Fanzine: Darker (Russia). Best Website: Geek Ireland (Ireland). Best Dramatic Presentation: Adaptation of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (Croatia). Best Creator of Children’s SF or Fantasy Books: (tie) Oisín McGann (Ireland), Vladimir Arenev (Ukraine). The following Encouragement Awards are granted to a young writer or artist from each European country, according to suggestions from National Delegates: Marco Rauch (Austria), Victor Martinovich (Belarus), Genoveva Detelinova (Bulgaria), Irena Hartmann (Croatia), Míla Linc (Czech Republic), Anthea West (Ireland), Robert M. Wegner (Poland), Rui Alex (Portugal), Eugen Cadaru (Romania), Roman Shmarakov (Russia), Lenka tiblaríková (Slovakia), and Igor Silivra (Ukraine).
Winners of the 2014 Parsec Awards, honoring excellence in speculative fiction podcasting, were announced at Dragon*Con, August 31, 2014, in Atlanta GA.
Best Speculative Fiction Story: Small Cast (Short Form): ‘‘Growth Spurt’’, Paul Lorello (Pseudopod). Best Speculative Fiction Story: Small Cast (Novella Form): Blood and Smoke, Mike Bennett (Underwood and Flinch). Best Speculative Fiction Story: Long Form: Fire on the Mound, William J. Meyer. Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Short Form): ‘‘Tallington’’, Jon Thrower (We Are Not Alone). Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Long Form): We’re Alive: A Story of Survival, Kc Wayland. Best Speculative Fiction Video Story: Once Upon a Time in the 1970’s, Chris & Anne Lukeman. Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast: The NoSleep Podcast. Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team: Hadron Gospel Hour. Best Speculative Fiction Fan or News Podcast (Specific): Cyborgs: A Bionic Podcast. Best Speculative Fiction Fan or News Podcast (General): Sword & Laser. Best Podcast about Speculative Fiction Content Creation: StoryWonk Sunday. Best Fact Behind the Fiction Podcast: Guide to Space. Best Speculative Fiction Comedy/Parody Podcast: DragonConTV.
The 2014 Janusz A. Zajdel winners were announced at Polcon, the Polish national SF convention, held September 4-7, 2014 in Bielsko-Biała. The awards honor the best works published in Poland. Novel: Cienioryt [Shadow Engraving], Krzysztof Piskorski. Short Story: ‘‘Czlowiek nieciagly’’ [‘‘Discontinuous Man’’], Anna Kantoch.
The ten-title longlist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature has been announced, and includes the following works of genre interest: Greenglass House by Kate Milford (Clarion/HMH), 100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith (S & S Children’s), and Noggin by John Corey Whaley (Atheneum). Nominees in other categories were announced during the week of September 15, 2014. Winners will be announced November 19, 2014. For more, including the complete list of nominees:
The finalists for the 2014 Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press Award for Short Fiction have been announced: ‘‘Trap-weed’’, Gemma Files (Clockwork Phoenix 4); ‘‘The Traditional’’, Maria Dahvana Headley (Lightspeed 5/13); ‘‘Bits’’, Naomi Kritzer, (Clarkesworld 10/13); ‘‘Set Your Face Towards the Darkness’’, David McDonald (Tales of Australia: Great Southern Land); ‘‘Acts of Chivalry’’, Sean McMullen, (Tales of Australia: Great Southern Land); ‘‘Morning Star’’, DK Mok (One Small Step, an anthology of discoveries); ‘‘Like a Bat Out of Hell’’, Jonathan Shipley (After Death); ‘‘Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma’’, Alex Shvartsman (Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show 4/13). The award, recognizing the ‘‘best original short fiction’’ published by small presses in the previous year, will be presented at Capclave 2014, October 10-12, 2014, in Gaithersburg MD. The winner will be chosen by members of WSFA. For more:
The finalists for the 2014 Ignotus Awards, honoring the best works published in Spain last year, have been announced. The awards are chosen by members of the annual Hispanacon, and winners will be announced at the next Hispanacon, held December 6-8, 2014 in Montcada i Reixac, outside Barcelona. The award is sponsored by the Asociación Española de Fantasía, Ciencia Ficción y Terror (AEFCFT). Spanish Novel: Esta noche arderá el cielo, Emilio Bueso (Salto de Página); Los nombres muertos, Jesús Cañadas (Fantascy); La canción secreta del mundo, José Antonio Cotrina (Hidra); Gente muerta, J.G. Mesa (aContracorriente); Memoria de tinieblas, Eduardo Vaquerizo (Sportula). Foreign Novel: Red Country, Joe Abercrombie (Alianza); The Shining Girls, Lauren Beukes (RBA); House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski (Alpha Decay); Evolutionary Void, Peter F. Hamilton (La Factoría de Ideas); Embassytown, China Miéville (Fantascy); The Quantum Thief, Hannu Rajaniemi (Alamut); 2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Minotauro). Novella: ‘‘La penúltima danza del Griwll’’, Ramón Merino Collado (De monstruos y Trincheras); ‘‘Rafentshalf’’, Jesús Fernández Lozano (Reyes de aire y agua); Detective, Rodolfo Martínez (Sportula); La montaña, Juan González Mesa (Bizarro); ‘‘En el filo’’, Ramón Muñoz (Terra Nova Vol. 2). Spanish Short Story: Mecaderes de tiempo, Victor Conde (Sportula); ‘‘Dariya’’, Nieves Delgado (Ellos son el futuro/Web Ficción Científica); ‘‘Los orcos no comen golosinas’’, Carlos López Hernando (Visiones 2012); ‘‘Wendy de los gatos’’, Jesús Fernández Lozano (Reyes de aire y agua); ‘‘El enemigo en casa’’, Concepción Regueiro (Historias del Crazy Bar); ‘‘El aeropuerto del fin del mundo’’, Tamara Romero (Visiones 2012); ‘‘La última huella’’, Miguel Santander (La costilla de Dios). Foreign Short Story: ‘‘Her Husband’s Hands’’, Adam-Troy Castro (Terra Nova Vol. 2); ‘‘Scattered Along the Rivers of Heaven’’, Aliette de Bodard (Terra Nova Vol. 2); ‘‘26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss’’, Kij Johnson (Cuentos para Algernon Vol I); ‘‘The Man Who Ended History’’, Ken Liu (Terra Nova Vol. 2); ‘‘Spider, the Artist’’, Nnedi Okorafor (Terra Nova Vol. 2); ‘‘Impossible Dreams’’, Tim Pratt (Hic sunt dracones). Anthology/Collection: La bomba número seis, Paolo Bacigalupi (Fantascy); Reyes de aire y agua, Jesús Fernández Lozano, ed. (Cápside); Cuentos para Algernon Año I, Marcheto, ed. (Cuentos para Algernon); Hic sunt dracones. Cuentos imposibles, Tim Pratt (Fata Libelli); Terra Nova Vol. 2, Mariano Villarreal & Luis Pestarini, ed. (Fantascy). NonFiction Book: La literatura fantástica argentina en el siglo XIX, Carlos Abraham, ed. (La Biblioteca del Laberinto); Japón sobrenatural, Daniel Aguilar (Satori); Cómo escribir ciencia-ficción y fantasía, Orson Scott Card (Alamut); Silencios de pánico, Diego López & David Pizarro (Tyrannosaurus Books); El poder de la sangre, Pedro L. López (Dolmen); La 100cia ficción de Rescepto, Sergio Mars, ed. (Cápside); Jack Kirby. El cuarto demiurgo, José Manuel Uría (Sportula); La biblia steampunk, Jeff Vandermeer & S.J. Chambers, eds. (Edge Entertainment); Steampunk Cinema, Anonymous, ed. (Tyrannosaurus Books). Article: ‘‘Ucronía’’, Asociación Cultural ALT+64 (TerBi #7); ‘‘Howard Koch, el guionista tras la magia de La guerra de los mundos de Orson Welles’’, Luis Alfonso Gámez (Magonia); ‘‘Sobre la fantasía feérica’’, Sergio Mars (Reyes de aire y agua); ‘‘La ciencia ficción española’’, Mariano Villarreal (El rincón de Koreander); ‘‘Literatura Fantástica en cifras. Estadística de producción editorial de género fantástico en España durante el año 2013’’, Mariano Villarreal (Literatura Fantástica). Illustration: Carlos Argiles for the cover of El dirigible (Dlorean); Koldo Campo for the cover of De monstruos y trincheras by Juan José Aroz (Espiral); Koldo Campo for the cover of Zaibatsu/La edad del vuelo by Juan José Aroz (Espiral); Alejandro Colucci for the cover of El mejor de los mundos posibles (RBA); Olga Esther for the cover of Reyes de aire y agua (Cápside); Ángel Benito Gastañaga for the cover of Terra Nova Vol. 2 (Fantascy); Eduardo Vaquerizo for the cover of Memoria de tinieblas (Sportula). A/V Production: El cosmonauta, Nicolás Alcalá (feature film); Fallo de Sistema, Santiago Bustamante (radio program); Los VerdHugos, Miquel Codony, Pedro Román, Elías F. Combarro & Joseph María Oriol (podcast); Luces en el Horizonte, Luis Martínez & Pablo Uría (podcast); Los últimos días, Álex Pastor & David Pastor (feature film). Magazine: Alfa Eridiani, Barsoom, Delirio, miNatura, Planetas Prohibidos, Scifiworld. Website: Alt+64-Wiki (Asociación cultural Alt+64,
PUBLISHING NEWS
Little, Brown UK recently acquired publisher Constable & Robinson and announced a new division, merging the acquisition with Piatkus, to ‘‘take advantage of publishing synergies, streamline day-to-day editorial processes, and help fully integrate Constable & Robinson within the company.’’ Constable & Robinson publisher Tim Whiting will report to David Shelley, publisher of the Little, Brown UK group. Constable & Robinson’s Corsair fiction imprint will remain separate, run by James Gurbutt, who will report to Whiting.
Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle has announced the formation of the Penguin Publishing Group, combining the Penguin Adult and Berkley/NAL groups and putting all adult Penguin imprints under a single division, headed by president Madeline McIntosh. Susan Petersen Kennedy, who has been president of Penguin Group USA since 2001, is leaving the company at the end of the year. Dohle says ‘‘there is no change being contemplated for the creative and entrepreneurial direction of Penguin’s individual publishing imprints.’’
Book packager Full Fathom Five, run by James Frey, has announced a new eponymous digital imprint with plans to publish a new genre e-book every week, starting October 1, 2014. Frey says, ‘‘We are looking forward to discovering unconventional projects that have the potential to connect with a wider community of readers that haven’t been available to them before.’’
Though the purchase of Perseus by Hachette and Ingram was canceled, Perseus’s newly created distribution division Legato Publisher Group will continue to operate, with founder Mark Suchomel remaining in charge as president and Jeff Tegge as vice president for sales.
WORLD CONVENTIONS NEWS
Mid American Science Fiction and Fantasy Conventions, Inc. won the bid to host the 2016 Worldcon. MidAmeriCon II will be held August 17–21, 2016 in Kansas City MO at the Kansas City Convention Center and Bartle Hall. Chaired by Ruth Lichtwardt, Jeff Orth, and Diane Lacey, the 2016 guests of honor are Tamora Pierce, Michael Swanwick, Kinuko Y. Craft, and Patrick & Teresa Nielsen Hayden, with Pat Cadigan as Toastmaster. The attending membership rate is currently $150. For more:
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