HC, Amazon Reach Terms Agreement

HarperCollins has become the latest publisher to reach an agreement with Amazon over sales terms. Under the deal, HC’s books will continue to be available on the Amazon print and digital platforms.

Orbit Plans to Serialize Parker Fantasy

Orbit, the science fiction and fantasy imprint of the Hachette Book Group, plans to serialize The Two of Swords, a new story by acclaimed fantasy novelist K.J. Parker, beginning on April 21 with the first three episodes. New installments of the story will be released monthly in e-book editions until the series is completed, to be followed by a collected print edition, as well as a digital version.

Scribd Adds PRH Audiobooks

The e-book subscription service Scribd has reached a deal to add more than 9,000 Penguin Random House audiobooks to its inventory. The addition will expand Scribd’s audiobook subscription library to more than 45,000 titles.

Allin Named Wiley CEO

John Wiley & Sons president and CEO Steve Smith will retire on June 1, due to a previously disclosed medical condition. Current executive v-p and COO Mark Allin has been named as Smith’s successor.

February Bookstore Sales Dropped 2.2%

According to preliminary estimates released on April 14 by the U.S. Census Bureau, bookstore sales fell 2.2% in February this year, compared to February 2014, dropping to $716 million. Bookstore sales fell by less than 1% in January, and for the first two months of 2015, store sales were $2.21 billion, down 1.3% from the comparable period in 2014.

HC Adds Four Global Offices

HarperCollins has opened four new overseas offices: HarperCollins Holland, HarperCollins Japan, HarperCollins Nordic, and HarperCollins Polska. To help launch the new operations, HC signed American crime write Karin Slaughter to a four-book deal in which the publisher has acquired world English rights, as well as foreign language rights in about a dozen languages. In addition, Chantal Restivo-Alessi, currently chief digital officer for HC, has been named to the additional post of executive v-p, international.