Publishers Weekly - June 20, 2022

160 Pages·2022·71.8 MB·English

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PUBLISHING
Volume 269 June 20,
IN THE Number 26 2022
ISSN 0000-0019
PALM OF
F
E AT U R E S
YOUR HAND.
19–110
Fall Adult
Announcements
Our editors highlight 843 forthcoming titles and pick their top 10
books in each of 15 categories.
N
E W S
2 High Hopes for Fall Trade Shows
The regional bookseller associations believe the conditions are
right for big turnouts at their upcoming in-person events.
3 Print Sales Fall in Early June
More declines in the nonfiction categories led to a 5.3% drop in unit
sales of print books overall in the week ended June 11, compared
to the similar week last year.
4 UNC Press Celebrates Its Centenary
The University of North Carolina Press had record sales in its most
recent fiscal year, as it continues in its mission to make Chapel Hill
a regional hub of intellectual activity.
7 Oni–Lion Forge Moves Forward
The Portland, Ore., graphic novel and comics publisher is finding its
way following the 2019 merger of Oni Press and Lion Forge.
9 Deals
Spiegel & Grau takes on actor Rob Delaney’s memoir about the
death of his young son, Julia Fine sells a novel set in 18th-century
Venice to Flatiron, and more.
10 From the Archive
Viking Press took out a two-page ad in PW in 1939 to keep sales
rolling for John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
Editorial Cover illustration © Chanelle Nibbelink
VISIT US ONLINE FOR ADDITIONAL NEWS,
REVIEWS, BESTSELLERS & FEATURES.
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C o n t e n t s
84,000,000
D & C
E PA R T M E N T S O L U M N S
17 Open Book
Annual Web Ad Impressions
In his forthcoming memoir, journalist Hua Hsu tells an emotionally
powerful story of grief, friendship, and identity.
32,000,000 152 Soapbox by Harvey J. Graff
A professor and author argues that recent book banning efforts are
having a widespread impact.
B
Annual Web Page Views E S T S E L L E R S
● Adult Hardcovers 13 ● Adult Paperbacks 14
14,500,000
● Children’s 15 ● Category 16
R
E V I E W S
Annual Opened Emails
Fiction
133 Lifestyle
135 Religion/Spirituality
111 General Fiction
14,000,000 116 Poetry
Children’s/YA
117 Mystery/Thriller
139 Picture Books
121 SF/Fantasy/Horror
142 Fiction
122 Romance/Erotica
144 Comics
124 Comics
Annual Unique Visitors
BookLife
Nonfiction
145 Paid Reviews
126 General Nonfiction
1,150,000
117
127
Q&A with Larry
Beinhardt Q&A with Tim
Birkhead
Social Followers
123
1,000,000
Boxed Review
To Catch a
Raven
Print Copies 140
Reviews Roundup
Children’s books celebrate Pride
PW Publishers Weekly USPS 763-080 (ISSN 0000-0019) is published weekly, except for the last week in December.
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The Week in Publishing
ELmososor AeW nthogaennleB 3so 3bo oykoeska, rpssca aerntn doe ffo otnhre e © . BRUCEETALAMONW SenCioErOP Vr &-ePs ,Pi dEuedbnitltio sGrhieaeorl rDCgieerve Sicnlto oBwrr iyJkei mJrmr .M anill iot
COO Carl Pritzkat
Senior V-P, Children’s Book Editor Diane Roback
of the country’s most promi-
Senior V-P, Executive Editor Jonathan Segura
V-P, Sales & Associate Publisher Joe Murray
nent Black-owned book-
V-P, Operations Ryk Hsieh
Art Director Clive Chiu
stores, will close by the end Managing Editor Daniel Berchenko
News Director Rachel Deahl
of 2022, co-owner James Senior News Editor Calvin Reid
News & Digital Editor John Maher
Fugate confi rmed. Features Editor Carolyn Juris
James Fugate (l.) and Tom Hamilton. Senior Writer Andrew R. Albanese
Bookselling & International Editor Ed Nawotka
SeniorReviews Editor Peter Cannon
Senior Reviews Editor, Children’s Amanda Bruns
Wiley overcame a decline LGBTQ fictionsales
Reviews Editors: David Adams, Stephanie Buschardt,
Phoebe Cramer, Meg Lemke, Maya C. Popa,
in its education publishing are surging in the U.S.,
Amanda Ramirez, Carliann Rittman, David Varno
Associate Reviews Editor Marc Greenawalt
segment to post a 7% increase according to NPD Religion Editor Emma Koonse Wenner
Deputy Children’s Book Editor Emma Kantor
in revenue and an 18% BookScan. In 2021, Editorial Assistant, Children’s Books Iyana Jones
Assistant Editor Drucilla Shultz
increase in operating income print unit sales dou- Associate Editor, News Sophia Stewart
Copy Chief Robby Ritacco
for the fi scal year ended April bled, to fi ve million, Director of Marketing Krista Rafanello
Marketing Manager Stacey Gill
30, compared to the previous over 2020. Through DirectorofSpecialEditorialProjects Adam Boretz
BookLife Editor Matia Madrona Query
BookLife Reviews Editor Alan Scherstuhl
fi scal May 28, this year’s sales were up
Director of Digital Operations Michael Morris
Digital Editorial Coordinator Marian Amo
year. 39% over the same period in 2021.
Digital Department Assistant Nathalie Mairena
Digital Advertising Assistant Beatrice Viri
HR Generalist Nathaly Rivas
Accounts Receivable Cynthia Flaim
Bookstore sales rose 31.6% in April, to $633 mil- EE Accounts Payable Sylvia Joanne Slowik
LL Assistant Office Manager Catherine Hosch
lion, from $481 million in April 2021. For the fi rst Correspondents:
AA
West Coast Nathalie op de Beeck 253-306-3793
four months of 2022, bookstore sales increased SS Midwest Claire Kirch 218-310-1867
Asia Teri Tan ([email protected])
19.4% over the same period in 2021. Editor at Large Louisa Ermelino
Contributing Editors: Michael Coffey, Sari Feldman,
Liz Hartman, Brian Kenney, Daniel Lefferts, Sally Lodge,
Heidi MacDonald, Shannon Maughan, Marcia Z. Nelson, Diane
Patrick, Karen Raugust, Sonia Jaffe Robbins,
Spotify com- Maryland’s library e-book
Judith Rosen
Regional Sales Team: Deena Ali, Ian Littauer, Julia Molino
pleted its acqui- law was declared “unconstitu- Sales Coordinator Monique Vieu
Circulation Next Steps Marketing
sition of digital tional and unenforceable” by Collections Alan Kula, AK Collections
IT Support ACS International
audiobook distributor Findaway. The Judge Deborah L. Boardman, Licensing Director Christi Cassidy LLC
Production/Manufacturing Publishing Experts
Swedish streaming giant has 422 million ending a successful months- Web Engineering Mediapolis
Interns: Kamille Carrera Pereira, Jason Chen, Ryan Phung
active monthly users, and the Findaway long legal effort by the How to Reach Us
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Ian Littauer [email protected]
BookExpo? No one else in the & Low for Workman Julia Molino [email protected]
Monique Vieu [email protected]
U.S. book world is either. Senior Publishing, where she
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News
High Hopes for Fall Trade Shows
Regional bookseller associations believe the conditions are right for
big turnouts at their upcoming in-person events
E
xecutive directors of regional bookseller associa- followed by a “casual cocktail party” at Ross and Heidi
tions are optimistic that this year’s fall trade shows Rojek’s Sacramento store, Capital Books.
will be big draws, citing increases in membership, Another West Coast fair follows CALIBA. The Pacific
strong turnouts for in-person events last spring, Northwest Booksellers Association will run September
and the desire of many members of the industry to once again 18–20 in Tacoma’s Hotel Murano. Brian Juenemann,
get together. All the regionals are planning in-person shows, executive director/marketing for PNBA, believes atten-
although the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Asso- dance will be close to prepandemic levels of 500–600
ciation and the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance people, including 300 booksellers and library members.
will once again team up for a virtual New Voices New Rooms PNBA held an in-person meeting last year, where atten-
event, to be held August 8–11. Smaller in-person programs dance was capped because of Covid concerns, and all
are planned by NAIBA and SIBA later in the year. slots were taken.
SIBA will hold a “bookseller gathering” in New Orleans Juenemann has ruled out adding a hybrid component.
at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, September 7–8. “The numbers did not play out to support that last year—
According to executive director Linda-Maria Barrett, the attendance just wasn’t there,” he said. “It’s possible
the focus will be on bookseller education, author/book- we could add a video component, but, again, the events
seller interaction, networking, and the discovery of new we filled last year in the physical space had very little
titles and will not have an exhibit piece. In order to bring traffic online, so the investment just doesn’t make sense.”
some of its booksellers together, NAIBA is planning a The East Coast swing kicks off September 21, when
one-day event in Rhinebeck. N.Y., tentatively scheduled the New England Independent Booksellers Associ-
for October 17. The meeting is planned as a social event ation opens at the Rhode Island Convention Center in
for NAIBA’s northern stores, and no publishers or ven-
dors will be attending, according to member manager Regional Bookseller Associations’
Fall Trade Show Schedule
Elliott batTzedek.
The California Independent Booksellers Association
New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association
will have its first-ever in-person regional September
Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance
New Voices New Rooms
9–11 at the Sacramento Sheraton Grand. Before the
Northern California Independent Booksellers Association August 8–11 (virtual)
and Southern California Independent Booksellers
California Independent Booksellers Association
Association combined in 2020 to form CALIBA, the
September 9–11 (Sacramento, Calif.)
California shows usually ran in late October and were
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association
typically the last fairs to be held. Because of Covid restric-
September 18–20 (Tacoma, Wash.)
tions, the 2022 show is CALIBA’s first. “It’s our first-ever
all-California show, and the city is rolling out the red New England Independent Booksellers Association
carpet for us,” said CALIBA co-executive director Kristin September 21–23 (Providence, R.I.)
Rasmussen. While it is hard to predict attendance,
Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers
Rasmussen noted that the association has added Association
September 28–October 1 (Denver)
numerous bookstores since the start of the pandemic.
Plans call for a September 9 afternoon visit with state
Midwest Independent Booksellers Association
representatives, and while the agenda is still being for- Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
Heartland Fall Forum
mulated, topics are likely to include support for small
October 12–14 (St. Louis)
businesses and issues around book bans, Rasmussen
said. That evening, CALIBA plans an opening reception
2 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ JUNE 20, 2022
The Weekly Scorecard
News
Print Sales Fell 5% in
Early June
Providence. Executive director Beth Ineson said
NEIBA’s events in the first half of 2022 “have all Unit sales of print books in the week ended June 11, 2022, fell
5.3% from the comparable week in 2021, at outlets that report
been very well attended,” and she is expecting a
to NPD BookScan. The drop was the smallest decline in about
good turnout for the fall conference. “While we took
two months. Once again, the adult nonfi ction category
a big swing at Zoom events over the past two years,
struggled to keep pace with last year’s sales, with units down
nothing replaces the conversations, the book dis- 9.3%. James Patterson by James Patterson, the prolifi c author’s
coverability, and the hugs on the show floor,” she memoir, was #1 in the category, selling more than 21,000
copies in its fi rst week. Another new book, Scars and Stripes
noted. “We can’t wait to have booksellers, authors,
by Tim Kennedy, landed in fourth place on the category list,
and our publisher partners all together in the same
selling just under 15,000 copies. Adult fi ction rebounded from
physical space again.”
a rare down week to post a 1.7% sales increase compared to
Like PNBA, the Mountains & Plains Independent the week ended June 12, 2021. Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with
Booksellers Association managed to pull off an in- Us edged out Chainsaw Man,Vol.11 by Tatsuki Fujimoto for
the #1 spot on the category list, with the titles selling 47,858
person show last year, and executive director Heather
and 47,396 copies, respectively. Hoover had fi ve titles (from
Duncan is looking forward to a bigger fair at the
three diff erent publishers) among the category’s top 10
Renaissance Denver Central Park Hotel from September
books, with sales totaling about 140,000 copies. Sales in the
28 to October 1. Duncan noted that MPIBA held YA fi ction category inch ed up 0.5% over 2021. The top title
two well-attended in-person spring cons this year, was A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jack son, which sold
more than 10,000 copies. The highest-ranking new title was
and that interest in the fall conference is very high.
Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer, which sold more
“We are expecting to exceed our prepandemic num-
than 3,000 copies, landing it in the 26th spot on the category
bers of both attendees and exhibitors,” she said,
list. Juvenile fi ction sales dropped 5.3% in the week. Oh, the
adding that because of an increase in membership Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss was in fi rst place on the category
she expects to have another influx of first-time book- list, selling more than 25,000 copies, approximately the same
number it sold a year ago.
seller attendees.
The fall shows will conclude October 12–14, when
TOTAL SALES OF PRINT BOOKS
(in thousands)
the Heartland Fall Forum, produced by the Midwest
JUNE 12, JUNE 11, CHGE CHGE
Independent Booksellers Association and Great
2021 2022 WEEK YTD
Lakes Independent Booksellers Association, takes
Total 14,616 13,847 -5.3% -6.6%
place at the St. Louis Hyatt Regency at the Arch.
MIBA executive director Carrie Obry and GLIBA’s UNIT SALES OF PRINT BOOKS BY CATEGORY (in thousands)
Larry Law both said they are expecting a healthy JUNE 12, JUNE 11, CHGE CHGE
2021 2022 WEEK YTD
turnout due to high membership numbers. Law said
Adult Nonfi ction 5,645 5,118 -9.3% -10.3%
that GLIBA has added 50 new booksellers over the
Adult Fiction 3,470 3,530 1.7% 4.4%
past three years, bringing the total to 200, and that
Juvenile Nonfi ction 1,404 1,298 -7.6% -9.4%
there are currently more members than there have
Juvenile Fiction 3,215 3,045 -5.3% -7.2%
been at any other point in GLIBA’s history. MIBA
Young Adult Fiction 605 608 0.5% -4.0%
has also had an increase in membership, particularly
Young Adult Nonfi ction 85 82 -3.6% -2.8%
from BIPOC-owned stores.
Obry is hoping that the strong turnout for MIBA’s
UNIT SALES OF PRINT BOOKS BY FORMAT
(in thousands)
spring event, which attracted 75 booksellers rather
JUNE 12, JUNE 11, CHGE CHGE
than the typical 40–50, will translate to high numbers 2021 2022 WEEK YTD
for the forum. She also noted that 2022 is the 10th Hardcover 4,014 3,625 -9.7% -10.4%
anniversary of the Heartland Forum. To mark the Trade Paperback 8,784 8,602 -2.1% -3.4%
occasion, MIBA and GLIBA will be doing a photo ret- Mass Market Paperback 715 581 -18.8% -20.2%
rospective, selling custom merchandise, and hosting Board Books 688 653 -5.0% -4.9%
an anniversary party on opening night featuring 10
indie publisher sponsors.
SOURCE: NPD BOOKSCAN AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. NPD’S U.S. CONSUMER MARKET PANEL COV-
—Jim Milliot, with reporting by Claire Kirch ERS APPROXIMATELY 80% OF THE PRINT BOOK MARKET AND CONTINUES TO GROW.
and Nathalie op de Beeck
3
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News
UNC Press Celebrates Its Centenary
T
he University of North Carolina Press has much to editions away. We wouldn’t do this for our trade books, the
celebrate as it marks its 100th anniversary. Founded books that we’re trying to sell 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 copies
in 1922 by 13 University of North Carolina adminis- of. But for the books that we’re trying to sell 750 copies of,
trators, faculty, and alumni wanting to transform Chapel Hill it’s okay.”
from a sleepy Southern university town into a regional hub In the future, Sherer said, UNC Press may resume provid-
of intellectual activity, UNC Press finished the 2021 fiscal year ing open access to its more specialized academic titles.
with a record $6.8 million in revenue, a 25% increase over “We’ve got to find a way to expand access,” he added. “I don’t
more typical years, when revenue swings between $4.5 mil- know how, but it’s a goal; it’s living up to the press’s mission.”
lion and $5 million. Director Sherer said UNC Press is
John Sherer, who left Basic using its revenue “windfall”—
Books in 2012 to head UNC as well as $2 million raised to
Press, expects that it will date in a fundraising cam-
end the current fiscal year paign—to invest in itself. It
on June 30 with $5.8–$5.9 recently added several new
million in revenue. “Sales are positions, including an art
still way ahead of our histori- director, an editorial assis-
cal trends,” he said, “although tant, and a finance position,
not nearly where they were bringing the current number
last year.” of employees to 45.
Sherer attributed UNC This investment extends
Press’s growth to finding new to UNC Press’s list. The pub-
UNC Press director John Sherer, speaking during an event held at the
audiences for the academic lisher, which featured three
Chapel Hill Public Library in March celebrating the press’s centenary.
and trade titles it publishes, titles on its debut list a cen-
as well as to its decision to offer free digital access to select tury ago, currently releases 115–120 frontlist titles each
academic titles during the pandemic. Disclosing that sales year, but it plans on increasing that output to at least 140
plummeted in mid-March 2020, he explained that after mak- titles. Approximately 30% of the press’s revenue comes
ing academic titles in digital formats available from mid-April from its trade list, which includes two to four books about the
throughout the summer of 2020 via intermediaries like the South published annually under the Ferris & Ferris imprint.
JSTOR digital library, “usage skyrocketed—it was exponen- Sherer said he is “happy where the trade list is” and added
tially higher.” that “we exist to publish the scholarly books—so that’s where
To UNC Press’s surprise, sales of the print editions of titles we want to grow.” Noting that UNC Press publishes about 50
with digital open access increased during that same period. “first books” each year that are revised PhD dissertations that
For instance, after the paywall was removed for the digital typically sell between 400 and 1,000 copies, he added, “It’s
edition of 1990’s Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists not sexy, but it’s important. It’s what the academy needs, it’s
During the Great Depression by Robin D.G. Kelley, it sold what the university needs, and what a good university press
2,000 print copies—up from 300–500 print copies sold in a should be doing.”
typical year prepandemic. The book, which retails for $35, While academic bestsellers include the 24-volume New
has sold 1,000 print copies this year. Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, the offshoot of a series
Seeing sales rebound so quickly was “very gratifying,” Sherer that launched in 1989, UNC Press’s top-selling book of all
said. “There’s this prevailing narrative that the monograph is time is Mama Dip’s Kitchen, a soul food cookbook by Mildred
not being read, isn’t being sold—but we found that if you make Council, a middle-aged Black entrepreneur who operated a
them accessible and remove the paywall, they are read, or at hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Chapel Hill. The book has sold
least requested. People don’t want to read 90,000 words on about 250,000 copies since its 1999 release. “I am sure
a small screen. They prefer print, as long as print isn’t too people were asking why a university press would publish such
expensive. We didn’t kill our business model giving digital a cookbook,” Sherer said. “In the ’90s, soul food cookbooks
4 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ JUNE 20, 2022