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Dollars and Sense
Citing “growth-related expenses” and a weakened U.S. dollar, Penguin Random House reported that its profits in 2025 fell nearly 5%, even as its total revenue inched up to $5.75 billion. Callaway Arts & Entertainment, best known for its highly produced illustrated books, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with unsecured creditors ranging from distributor Hachette Book Group to Bob Dylan. Children’s publisher Albert Whitman, which also filed for bankruptcy back in 2024, has submitted a new five-year plan to partially repay its unsecured creditors, including authors and illustrators. And we surveyed the state of comics on both sides of the pond at this year’s London Book Fair. In other news, Roxane Gay is teaming up with Channing Tatum to write a “very sexy” romance novel, InStyle reports. The Boston Globe charts the growth of Skyhorse founder and publisher Tony Lyons’s “political empire.” For the New York Times, novelist Andrea Bartz opines on what the Shy Girl debacle means for the future of creative writing—and the integrity of the author-reader relationship. Hay Festival CEO Julie Finch makes the case for the importance of book festivals in her London Book Fair keynote, via Lit Hub. The Hollywood Reporter shares the first trailer for HBO’s new Harry Potter series. Alta offers up a celebrity book club cheat sheet. And narrative journalist and author Tracy Kidder has died at 80.
Parent company Bertelsmann attributed the decline, to €704 million, to “growth-related expenses in the U.S. core business along with negative exchange rate effects.” Penguin Random House’s total revenue in the year rose 1.3%, to €5 billion. more »
The publisher and entertainment company, founded in 1980 by Nicholas Callaway, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Southern District of New York. Among its largest creditors is its distributor, Hachette, which it owes $1.7 million. more »
A promised “Comic Space” at the fair never quite materialized, but the show floor still had plenty to reveal about the state of graphic storytelling, from buzzy book deals and crowdfunding campaigns to an appearance from Heartstopper author Alice Oseman. more »
From all of us at Atria Books—thank you, booksellers, for getting 1 million copies of Theo of Golden into readers’ hands and hearts. This #1 NYT bestselling phenomenon continues to spread joy, hope, and word-of-mouth magic through its message of kindness and connection. We couldn’t have done it without you. (Sponsored) More »
The plan would pay authors and illustrators about half of what they are owed by the children’s publisher over the next five years. The company filed for bankruptcy nearly two years ago and owes unsecured creditors about $2 million. more »
Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles rejected an effort to dismiss a First Amendment complaint against five Department of Defense Education Activity schools, which removed 596 library books in response to White House executive orders. more »
The writer and activist’s An Unexpected Life is slated to publish this September. Random House VP and executive editor Jamia Wilson had acquired world rights to the book from Kim G. Schefler at Levine Plotkin. more »
Following an infusion of capital, the digital comics platform has appointed Henrik Rydberg to the helm and acquired AI publishing startup Inkr as it looks to make inroads into both English and Japanese comics. more »
The author’s latest, Whistler (Harper, June), centers on Daphne, a middle-aged English teacher; her reunion with Eddie, her former stepfather; and the long shadow cast by a car accident when she was nine. At PLA, Patchett will join children’s author Kate DiCamillo for a lunch with attendees on April 2. more »
This year promises to be a big one for the pioneering superhero comics writer, who is making a much-heralded return to both Marvel and his iconic creator-owned series Powers. more »
Following his 2020 foray into middle grade fiction, The Silver Arrow, the novelist returns to the realm of children’s literature with his first picture book, The God of Sleep, illustrated by Huynh Kim Liên. more »
- Literary Agent - Stonesong - New York, NY.
- Literary Agent - Heirloom Literary & Media.
- Senior Designer, Adult, UNSQ - Hachette Book Group - New York, NY.
- Metadata Associate - Harvard University Press - Cambridge, MA.
- College Publishing Sales Representative, Connecticut - W.W. Norton & Company - , CT.
Job Moves
- Christy Droege has been promoted to VP of strategic planning, analysis, and supply chain at Sourcebooks.
- Matthew Burdette has been promoted to senior editor at PRH Christian.
- Holly Nagel-Riley has joined MamaBear Books as VP of sales and marketing.
- Leah Carlson-Stanisic has been promoted to senior design director at Macmillan.
- Beth Steidle has joined Macmillan as art director of Fablelistik.
- Sean Price has joined Macmillan as site reliability and technology manager.
- Sloane Koenig has joined Macmillan as facilities receptionist.
Awards News
- Charlotte Aitken Award Winner: Harry Shukman has won the £10,000 Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award, which celebrates works by young authors in the U.K. and Ireland.
Bookstore News
- L.A. Bookshop Faces Displacement: Read Books in Eagle Rock may need to close its doors due to a steep rent hike.
- Oregon Bookstore Seeks Support: Tsunami Books in Eugene hopes to raise funds for purchasing the building in which they operate.
- Woman-Owned Bookshop Lands in Iowa: Sisters Books and Nooks opened in Cedar Rapids last fall.
Click here to join the conversation in PW's Facebook group for booksellers.
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi is the #1 title on our trade paperback bestseller list. See the full list »
‘Cool Machine’ by Colson Whitehead“Whitehead concludes his Harlem Trilogy with a transcendent and wildly entertaining novel in which his recurring characters grapple with the ways their lives are defined by crime and the city they call home.... It’s the greatest New York novel in years.” more »
Picture of the Day
On March 19, Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books hosted cultural critic Jamilah Lemieux (c.) at the African American Museum in Philadelphia in celebration of her debut, Black. Single. Mother.: Real Life Tales of Longing and Belonging (Roc Lit 101). Joining Lemieux in conversation were Marc Lamont Hill (l.) and Feminista Jones (r.).
PW Daily Team: Kerensa Cadenas, Sophia Stewart, Ed Nawotka, Sam Spratford, Eva Baron
PW News Team: Kerensa Cadenas, Ed Nawotka, Sophia Stewart, Sam Spratford, Jim Milliot, Cathy Lynn Grossman, Claire Kirch, Nathalie op de Beeck
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PW News Team: Kerensa Cadenas, Ed Nawotka, Sophia Stewart, Sam Spratford, Jim Milliot, Cathy Lynn Grossman, Claire Kirch, Nathalie op de Beeck
To submit pictures of the day, email pics@publishersweekly.com.
To submit an obituary, email obituaries@publishersweekly.com.
Send editorial questions about this e-newsletter to Sophia Stewart.
Send advertising questions about this e-newsletter to Joe Murray.
For additional assistance, contact us by email or at the address below:
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