Shop, horror, as A & R crosses border
Good books will always sell, said one industry
pragmatist, hosing down some worry about another takeover. And
while PanMac celebrates a couple of milestones, Cate Kennedy
celebrates her own in the US, writes Jason Steger
There’s a certain amount of angst in publishing circles now
that the ACCC has approved Angus %26amp; Robertson Whitcoulis’
purchase of Borders’ 22 Australian bookshops - for a reported $130
million - to add to the 180 that A%26amp;R owns. Stephanie Johnston,
of Wakefield Press, says Borders stocks all Wakefield’s titles at a
national level and is concerned that “this buying pattern and broad
range philosophy might change under the new ownership”. But as she
worries about greater discounting pushing up prices to maintain
margins, she is also “looking forward to being paid earlier by
accounting offices on the ground here in Australia”.
Another publisher said despite initial concern when Borders
first opened in Australia, it had been “fantastic”. He said it had
an “impressively catholic” policy towards stock. “I’m worried that
A%26amp;R’s degree of aggression and incompetence will infiltrate
Borders’ management,” he said. A%26amp;R had cut back its buying
enormously, making initially tiny orders even on books that seemed
a natural fit. “If you’ve got that repeated at Borders there will
be a significant impact on small and big publishers.”
But Peter Phillips, the departing sales and marketing director
at Pan Macmillan (see below), said there was always going to be
change in the industry and if you had good books you could always
sell them. “I’m a pragmatist - if they don’t do a good job, then
someone else will pick up the market.”
Festival has an Edge
As most of you will know, the Age Melbourne Writers’ Festival
will be at Federation Square this year. Director Rosemary Cameron
took a group of publishing people around the venues this week and
most were impressed. They liked the BMW Edge as the main auditorium
and the ACMI cinema they saw (both cinemas will be used). The
square’s atrium will be an interesting space to deal with, given
there will be non-festival goers floating around the space where
Readings will set up its festival bookshop, authors will do their
book signings and the festival ticket office will be located.
But then that’s what Cameron wants, more exposure. “We’ll be
trying to sell them tickets,” she said.
Although there are only three venues compared with four at the
festival’s home for almost 20 years, the Malthouse, the number of
bums on seats will be much the same. The evening festival club and
book launches will be in the ACMI function space. Cameron is
looking for “more robust programming” there as all the events will
be free.
“It’s the first time I’ve felt excited about the Melbourne
Writers Festival for a long time,” said one of the publishing
people seeing the new premises for the first time. The real verdict
comes from August 22 when the 23rd festival begins.
Torquay talkies
Pan Macmillan descended on Torquay en masse last week for its
annual sales conference. Of course there was a lot of serious
business done but also some serious socialising. (Macmillan is one
of the most gregarious of publishing companies.)
And it had a couple of significant events. The first was the
impending retirement after 35 years with the company - officially
next Friday - of Peter Phillips, the man who must have the best
moustache in Australian publishing. Phillips, one of the
friendliest men in the industry and a real gent to boot, is
stepping down from the board but is still going to do consultancy
work for the company. But first thing is building a garden at his
new country home north of Melbourne.
And PanMac had to mark publicity director Jeannine Fowler’s 20
years with the company. Her team decided to pay their own tribute
to “Neen” by dressing up as her - blonde hair and red lipstick. It
took Fowler a moment to realise what was going on but when she
twigged her comment was that they all looked “fantastic” and
perhaps there was scope for a uniform in the future.
They also read out gushing testimonials from some of the authors
with whom Fowler has worked, including PanMac blockbuster-meisters
Jeffrey Archer, Ken Follett and Wilbur Smith, John Marsden - who
must have started working with her almost as she started at the
company - and John Banville. “I don’t believe them,” Fowler said,
“you must have made them up.”
Oprah-tunity knocks
Good news for Cate Kennedy whose collection of stories Dark
Roots has been getting some enthusiastic US reviews. She has
been picked as a “new voice of the month” in Oprah
Magazine. “If stories could be called watchful, that might
begin to describe Cate Kennedy’s debut collection, Dark
Roots . . . Her characters live with the metallic taste of
dread and regret . . . Kennedy’s tales are full of such provocative
messages, tantalisingly revealed.”
Next book perhaps will be an Oprah Bookclub pick. Now that would
boost sales.
