06-20-2014, 10:01 AM | #1 |
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Angry Robot shuts down Strange Chemistry and Exhibit A imprints
Really not good news: http://angryrobotbooks.com/2014/06/n...and-exhibit-a/
This also affects books that were for all intents and purposes already ready - galleys/ARCs sent out to reviewers, release dates a few weeks from now. I'm sad as a reader, both because Strange Chemistry put out some of my favourite YA releases of the last couple of years - some of their books missed the mark for me, but I really appreciated how they were willing to experiment and release books that weren't just a collection of currently trendy clichés - and because I've liked the Angry Robot way of publishing for some time now: books that are a little bit off mainstream, no DRM, subscriptions for those who like the idea, and so on. It's a pity to see that at least for their YA and mystery imprints, this approach apparently didn't work well enough. |
06-20-2014, 10:34 AM | #2 |
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I've never really paid any attention to publishers. I just buy or borrow the book, depending on the author, reviews, description etc. What happens to all the authors on those imprints, with books in the pipeline or coming out imminently?
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06-20-2014, 10:41 AM | #3 | |
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Quote:
I'm glad I didn't renew it, now, although I assume that subscribers will be refunded for the books they won't be getting. I gather that books already in the pipeline are not coming out. I don't know about the Exhibit A books but presumably it's the same there; I do already know that Strange Chemistry authors with release dates in July aren't going to get those books published. At least some of the authors have indicated they're already looking into other options - other publishers or self-publishing, if needs be, both for the books already finished and for future ones (quite a few had one or two books in planned trilogies out with SC), so I assume that they have at least been assured they can have the rights back for them. I don't know though how that will affect things like cover art etc. It seems that it came as a shock to everyone involved, in any case - as far as I can tell from author reactions, they all just found out today after the general announcement. I wouldn't want to be them right now. |
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06-20-2014, 10:44 AM | #4 |
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There's more news about the bigger picture here: Black confirms 'strategic review, potential sale' at Osprey
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06-20-2014, 11:27 AM | #5 | |
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Quote:
The BPHs are looking to get bigger fast so they need to either merge, sell out, or buy smaller players. Random House and Penguin went merger, Disney sold Hyperion, and News Corp bought out Harlequin. Bloomsbury is looking for a buyer. Hachette looks a lot more like a seller than a buyer but they could go either way. Most mid-size specialty publishers are going to be under pressure, mostly in proportion to their reliance on mmpbs and inversely to their ebook strength. (Harlequin was very dependent on cheap mmpbs but their pricing practices didn't translate well to the indie-heavy romance ebook market so their business suffered more than other comparable players in other genres.) |
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06-20-2014, 02:43 PM | #6 |
Is that a sandwich?
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These smaller publishers need to have a big selling title quite regularly to stay afloat. This particular company took on too much debt and couldn't recover.
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