What the Big 5's Financial Reports Reveal About the State of Traditional Book Publishing - Book Business

Today, Panzer found some interesting information at the Book Business site about the big five traditional publishing companies' financial reports.

According to the post by Thad Mcilroy, three of the Big 5, (Hachett, HarperCollins, and Simon and Schuster) had losses in sales over the same period last year, one (Macmillan) did not report their sales figures, and only one (Penguin Random House) had an increase. The post is a little confusing because it compares figures from different reporting periods for the companies. The end of the post speculates on which publishing companies might be candidates for mergers/takeovers.

Me...OW ... OW. My head hurts.

Panzer says, "Make sure you have an aspirin (or headache tablet). You'll need it by the time you finish the post."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. Bring a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Big 5

Self Publishing Predictions for 2015

What did I get into?

Panzer has been searching high and low in the Catosphere today to see into the future. Our kitty fortuneteller wants to know what 2015 holds for indie writers and publishers. So, he did the happy kitty dance when he found a post at the Booklife site by Betty Kelly Sargent on just that subject.

Ms. Sargent interviewed some of the big names in the indie world. Names like Hugh Howey, Joel Friedlander, Thad Mcllroy, and Russell Blake. There are quotes from articles on the subject, too.

What are the big names saying? Hugh Howey says not much will happen this year. Joel Friedlander says indie publishing will grow. Thad Mcllroy talks about mobile computing. Russell Blake addresses subscription services.

Panzer says, "It's all so confusing. I wish I hadn't asked!"

To read the post, tootle over to  self publishing