Thursday, December 04, 2008

Digital Age Hurts Random House, Simon and Schuster

Major book publishers are feeling the crippling effects from a slow economy and video-driven  culture. 

Dark clouds formed on the horizon last month, when Barnes and Noble halted its plan for new store openings and downgraded its holiday sales forecast.
Simon & Schuster cut 35, which is only 2% of the staff, but CEO Carolyn Reid admitted the entire publishing industry is coping with "truly difficult circumstances."

Last month, I suggested our society may be suffering form book burnout, and the latest news from the Associated Press affirms my hypothesis.

At Random House, the country's largest general trade publisher,Stephen Rubin,the man who helped give the world "The Da Vinci Code" is in talks for a new position, while Irwyn Applebaum the publisher of Danielle Steel and other brand-name authors is leaving altogether.

These unfavorable conditions should pressure publishers consider a significant shift to alternate forms of media, especially digital publishing via audiobooks and software similar to the Stanza application for iPhone.

Posted By Matt O'Hern at 04:51 PM
Permanent Link: Digital Age Hurts Random House, Simon and Schuster | Comments (1)

(1) Comments on Digital Age Hurts Random House, Simon and Schuster

This seems to indicate the age of digital download is coming into it's own. No real figures yet but it looks as if cd sales are currently crashing. A major shift is clearly underway. TPM

Comments by Timothy Patrick Miller : Friday, December 05, 2008 at 10:34 AM

Post a Comment

Name:
Email:
WebSite:
Comment:
Remember Me
Subscribe