Good Day for HC, Bad Day for Bezos Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who has had a bumpy start to 2019, has accused the owner of the National Enquirer of extortion and blackmail. Another of the most powerful men on Earth, Donald Trump, has also had a rocky start to the year, in part thanks to Melville House, which has crashed the climate report the president has tried to downplay. Count former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson among the beleaguered as well, admitting that she "fell short" in a new book plagued with accusations of inaccuracies and plagiarism. And the book world bids a fond farewell to Rosamunde Pilcher, author of The Shell Seekers, who died this week at 94. In better news, HarperCollins has posted its second quarter results, which saw a huge jump in profits, thanks in no small part to sales of digital audiobooks. It's all the more proof that National Book Foundation executive director Lisa Lucas's claim that the book isn't dead is all too true. HC Sales, Earning Up in Q2; News Corp CEO Takes Swipe at Audible Strong sales of digital audio were a key contributor to a 13% increase in profits at HarperCollins in the second quarter ended December 31, 2018. In discussing second quarter results, Robert Thomson, CEO of HC parent company News Corp, criticized Audible's domination of the downloadable audio market. more » Vivendi Buys Editis The French media giant adds the second-largest French-language publishing group to its portfolio. more » #DVPit Connects NZ Author with Writers Community YA author Graci Kim says that she had “nothing to lose and everything to gain” by participating in the Twitter pitch event—especially because she lives in Wellington, New Zealand. more » Shortlist Named for Selfies Award The finalists for the inaugural Selfies Award for a self-published novel have been named, and the winner will be announced at the upcoming London Book Fair. more » Tune In to PW Insider In time for Valentine's Day, PW senior reviews editor Rose Fox joins to talk current trends in romance, from romantic comedies and stories about death to queer romances and trans characters. more » Call for Information: Fast-Growing Small Publishers Needed: To be considered for inclusion in our annual look at fast-growing small publishers, presses with net sales of between $2 million and $10 million should submit net sales for 2016-2018, number of employees in those years, and number of new titles released. Sales will be kept confidential. A brief description of the reasons behind the growth should be included. E-mail responses to Jim Milliot at jmilliot@publishersweekly.com, and reach him by phone at 212-377-5705. more » Publicist Children's Publishing - Chronicle Books - San Francisco, CA. Marketing Designer- General Interest and Culinary - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - New York, NY. Editor/Publisher, Booklist - American Library Association - Chicago, IL. Retail Marketing Manager, NYU Press - New York University Press - New York, NY. Designer - Macmillan Children's Publishing Group - New York, NY. VIEW ALL » Job Moves Carl Hauch, one of three members of Barnes & Noble's C-Suite co-operating as CEO following the removal of Demos Parneros, has left his position as v-p of stores at B&N, according to 'Publishing Trends.' Carly Watters has been promoted to senior v-p at P.S. Literary Agency. Fiammetta Giorgi has been appointed head of rights for Mondadori, replacing Claudia Scheu, who will stay on with the publisher as a consultant. Alexander Roesler has been appointed editorial director for nonfiction at S. Fischer Verlag in Germany, effective March 1. VIEW ALL » Bookstore News Connecticut Store Adds Alcohol: That Bookstore in Wethersfield, Conn., which opened last summer, is now serving beer and wine. The Oldest African-American Bookstore: San Francisco's Marcus Books opened in 1960, making it America's most venerable Black bookstore. A Gay L.A. Bookstore's Amazing Legacy: The owners of Circus of Books, which is closing, recount the store's storied 37-year history. Maryland Mini-chain to Expand: Wonder Book, with three stores, is planning a bookstore-bar for the town of Frederick. VIEW ALL Click here to join the bookselling conversation in PW's Facebook group for booksellers. Top 10 Overall Bestseller List 'Becoming' by Michelle Obama is #1 on our overall list this week. See the full list » 'House of Assassins' by Larry Correia "Correia piles on the intrigue, action, and cliffhangers in the invigorating second Saga of the Forgotten Warrior epic fantasy." more » Picture of the Day Tennis great Billie Jean King reads the first-ever picture book about her, 'I Am Billie Jean King' (Dial Books), by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos. Courtesy Penguin Young Readers PW Daily team: Rachel Deahl, John Maher, Jim Milliot, Calvin Reid, Emma Wenner PW Daily logo: Nicole Cadavid