Friday, March 21, 2014

Amazon Publishing UK plans 500 titles this year

20.03.14 | Sarah Shaffi - The Bookseller

Amazon Publishing plans to release more than 500 titles in the UK this year, the company's vice president Jeff Belle has said, in a memo to agents.

The 500 books mentioned in Belle’s memo are to include titles acquired by the UK business, “combined with US-acquired books which will be simultaneously published in the UK”.
The memo, which has been released to The Bookseller, also outlines the company’s plans to hire 70 more staff members in London, Munich, Seattle, New York and Luxembourg, with the jobs “spanning editorial, marketing, operations, and business development”. The Bookseller reported earlier this month that Amazon Publishing was increasing its activity in the UK, and recruiting a publisher and acquisitions editor, among other staff.

 Sarah Jane Gunter, director of international publishing for Amazon Publishing, told The Bookseller: “As interest in our programme grows we are excited to acquire and publish more great works of fiction by UK authors.”

 Amazon Publishing’s acquisitions this year in the UK include a five-figure deal at auction for Cath Quinn’s thriller The Thief Taker, through Sheil Land Associates agent Piers Blofeld, and a deal for Mark Edwards and Louise Voss’ From the Cradle, through Sam Copeland at Rogers, Coleridge & White.

 Amazon Publishing's goal in Germany, where it recently launched a German-language publishing programme, was to publish more than 200 German-language books in 2014.
Belle said he was “encouraged” by the recently launched Kindle Worlds, Jet City Comics, Waterfall Press, StoryFront, and Day One literary journal.
He wrote: “We’re looking for passionate book people who want to publish great books and have an impact on the future of reading.
“Of course, with growth and change come inevitable challenges. There are many things we can be doing better, so in addition to references for talented people, your feedback on how we’re doing so far is valued and appreciated.”

 The memo made no mention of Quercus, which is currently up for sale. Amazon Publishing is one of the names circulating amid talk of the company's future.
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