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Simon & Schuster

Buys Textbook Publisher

NEW YORK, NY/ LATE APR '97-- Simon & Schuster has acquired Gorsuch Scarisbrick, a privately-held college publisher based in Scottsdale, AZ. Terms of the sale were not available, but Scarisbrick generates an estimated $5-10 million in annual revenues.

The sale included Scarisbrick's 25-title 1996 backlist of textbook inventory in a variety of disciplines.

S&S's Prentice Hall division will manage the education, career planning, and real estate lists. Its Allyn & Bacon unit, will assume the communications, health and physical education lists.

The sale will help strengthen S&S's presence in the two-year college market and increase its market share in education, communications and real estate, according to Richard Dojny, president of Prentice Hall's Education, Career & Technology Group.

Rone To Head

Disney's Business

Development

BURBANK, CA/ LATE APR '97-- David Rone has been named vice president, business development of Corporate Alliances effective immediately. The announcement was made by John Cooke, executive vice president, corporate affairs of The Walt Disney Company.

Formerly vice president of business affairs for The Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, Rone will now be responsible for overseeing the company's business development initiatives in pursuit of new corporate partners.

"David's leadership ability, negotiating skills, and years of experience within the Disney company make him uniquely qualified to lead Corporate Alliances in its business development endeavors," said Cooke. "I am very pleased to have him join us as an integral member of our team."

Rone joined The Walt Disney Company six years ago as an attorney in Business and Legal Affairs for the Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Pictures labels. Rone was promoted to vice president, business affairs in March 1995.

"I am extremely excited to join the entire team at Corporate Alliances," Rone said. "It is a tremendous group of talented, energetic, and strategic- minded executives, and I look forward to working with each of them. I am confident that, together, we can successfully grow our relationships with our existing partners as well as create opportunities to unite with new corporate partners on a global basis."

In his last position with the Motion Pictures Group, Rone was the primary liaison to Caravan Pictures, in charge of all business and legal matters related to pictures in development and production. He was also instrumental in structuring the company's relationships with filmmakers and other talent such as Martin Scorsese, Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, and Eddie Murphy. Rone is a Tufts University graduate and received his law degree from Northwestern University. Prior to joining Disney in 1990, Rone spent three years as a corporate attorney at the Chicago law firm of Rudnick & Wolfe.

Schaffer Acquires

Units From S&S

TORANCE, CA/ LATE APR '97--Torstar's Frank Schaffer Publications, based in Torrance, CA has acquired the K-8 manipulative units of Simon & Schuster's supplemental division for an undisclosed amount. Five units with estimated sales of $10-20 million, were included in the sale: American Teaching Aids, Judy/Instructo, Good Apple, Fearon Teaching Aids and Shining Star.

The move expands Schaffer Publications' core business of supplemental books, games and puzzles into the manipulative components of K-8 reading, math and science. Schaffer's 1996 sales were $42.4 million, a 17% increase from $36.2 million the previous year.

The sale was part of Simon & Schuster's reorganization of its Educational Publishing Group. Earlier this year, S&S created a new K-12 Publishing Group including textbook publishers Silver Burdett Ginn, Prentice Hall School and Globe Fearon, to develop textbook programs for major adoptions.

Times Mirror

Combines Two

Publishing Units

LOS ANGELES, CA/ LATE APR '97-- Times Mirror has combined Matthew Bender & Company, a premier source of legal commentary and analysis in the US, and Mosby-Year Book, a world leader in health science publishing into a single publishing unit.

Kathryn M. Downing, formerly president and CEO of Matthew Bender, has been appointed president and CEO of the combined companies, it was announced by Mark H. Willes, Times Mirror chairman, president and chief executive officer. Patrick A. Clifford, 55, who served as president and CEO of Mosby-Year Book and senior vice president, Times Mirror, is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.

The companies will continue to operate under their individual branded names. Bender, with about 1,000 employees, will continue to be headquartered in New York city, and Mosby, with 1300 employees, will remain in St. Louis.

Times Mirror (TMC--New York and Pacific stock exchanges), a Los Angeles-based news and information company, publishes the Los Angeles times, Newsday, The Baltimore sun another newspapers, as well as a wide variety of professional publications and consumer and trade magazines.

Golden Launches

New Adult Imprint

The new Golden Books Adult Publishing Group plans an October release of its first title, Steven Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families. The book will have a first printing of 500,000.

Golden's adult imprint, established in 1996, publishes books on family relationships and parenting, as well as other home and family issues such as self-help, personal finance spirituality and health.

The Covey book is a cooperative venture between Golden and the Covey Leadership Center, which publishes leadership training books and products. Covey has more than 12 million books in print.

Random House

Announces New

Early Reader Program

NEW YORK, NY/APR '97--Random House Children's Publishing and Great Source Education Group, Inc. have launched a new supplemental reading program for early readers. Called NEXT STEPS, the program features books from Random House's popular Stepping Stone book series and Great Source's teacher-designed instructional materials.

NEXT STEPS bridges the gap between books for emerging readers and more challenging chapter books. Included in the program six sets of easy-to-read chapter books designed to encourage independent reading at a higher level of difficulty. Each set includes five paperback books and a teacher's guide. Also available are five audio cassettes featuring the entire text of each book and read-along activities. The series is available to educators and schools form Great Source Education Group, 1-800-289-4490.

Random House Children's Publishing, America's preeminent publisher of children's books, is a division of Random House, Inc., the largest English language general trade book publisher. Great Source Education Group, Inc. is a division of Houghton Mifflin company, and develops resource-based materials for K-12 classrooms.

Grolier To Offer

On-line Encyclopedia

ROCKVILLE,MD/LATE APR '97--Grolier Educational, a division of Grolier Publishing Company, has licensed PLWEB Turbo (TM), PLS's Web publishing tool, to power a new, innovative on-line service. Encyclopedia Americana On-line (ea.grolier.com) provides access to more than 45,000 articles published in Encyclopedia Americana.

PLWeb Turbo provides subscribers searching Encyclopedia Americana On-line with the ability to browse through and quickly access the full text of articles on the site, and to locate entries enhanced with more than 1,000 tables, 1,200 pieces of line art, 816 maps and 275 flags in full color. With PLWeb Turbo, users can easily retrieve this information by submitting simple or more complex searches by word, text-string, subject, or user-definable topics.

Houghton Mifflin

Reports Increase

In First Quarter Sales

BOSTON/ LATE APR '97-- Houghton Mifflin Company (NYSE:HTN) reported net sales for the first quarter of 1997 of $68.7 million, up 9% over the $62.8 million reported in the first quarter of 1996.

Educational publishing net sales grew 19% to $51.4 million from $43.3 million last year, reflecting higher sales across all divisions. General publishing net sales decreased 11% , as expected, to $17.4 million from $19.6 million in the first quarter of 1996, as the Company continued to implement new strategy for the Trade & Reference Division.

Nader F. Darehshori, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Building on last year's successful integration of the DC Heath acquisition, we have begun 1997 with confidence. Our full range of high-quality and experienced sales force position us well to take advantage of adoption opportunities in 1997 and beyond. Planned revenue growth and control of operating expenses will enable us to substantially improve profitability."

Torstar Corp

Doubles Income

In First Quarter

TORONTO/ LATE APR '97-- Torstar, publisher of The Toronto Star and other holdings, more than doubled its net income from continuing operations from $10.1 million in 1996 to $21.5 million this year. Higher Newspaper profits, led by double- digit lineage increases in The Toronto Star and lower newsprint costs, accounted for the significant profit increase.

Net income for the first quarter was $20.8 million, or 53 cents per share, as compared to $9.8 million, or 24 cents per share reported in 1996.

The Toronto Star's profit of $14.7 million was up $13.3 million from the $1.4 million earned last year. Advertising revenues grew by 12 percent in the quarter mainly because of a 10.4 percent increase in R.O.P. advertising lineage.

The lineage improvement was due to the gains in national advertising - up 18 percent, employment - up 21 percent, travel - up 22 percent and retail - up 6 percent.

McGraw-Hill Posts

Seasonal Decline

In First Quarter

NEW YORK,NY/ LATE APR '97--The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MHP) reported earnings per share for the first quarter of 15 cents, one cent or 6.3% below last year's results for the same period. Net income declined to $15.0 million. Revenue for the period grew 11.8% to $652.9 million.

"Another strong performance by Financial Services and the recovery in Information and Media Services significantly reduced the typical seasonal loss incurred by our Educational and Professional Publishing segment in the first quarter," said Mr. Joseph L. Dionne, chairman and chief executive officer of The McGraw-Hill Companies. "The exchange in October 1996 of the Shepard's/McGraw-Hill legal publishing business for the Times Mirror Higher Education Group increased the seasonality of our business this year, shifting more of the Corporation's earnings power into the third quarter."

Belo Broadcasting

Promotes Key

Management

DALLAS,TX/ LATE APR '97--Belo (NYSE: BLC) has announced several promotions in its Broadcast Division. Glenn C. Wright has been named senior vice president/Television Group; Ilene L. Engel has been appointed director of news/Television Group; and J. William Mosley has been named controller/Television Group.

Glenn Wright currently serves as vice president/general manager of KIRO-TV in Seattle-Tacoma, Washington. In making the announcement, James M. Moroney, president of Belo's Television Group, said, "Glenn has distinguished himself in the job he has done for Belo at KIRO. His tenure as a general manager and his experience as a broadcaster make him ideally suited to help us run our Television Group."

In his new position, Wright will have responsibility for a number of Belo's television stations.

As a former board representative for the National Association of Broadcasters, Wright is a past chairman of the Children's Television Committee. He has also served on the CBS Affiliates Advisory Board and currently serves on the UPN Board of Governors.

Ilene Engel, in her new role, will work for Marty Haag, senior vice president/news of Belo's Broadcast Division, and serve as advisor and liaison to the news departments at a number of Belo's television stations. In that capacity, Engel will help maintain a consistent application of Belo's news philosophy across the Television Group and coordinate the coverage of major news projects among the stations.

Since June 1995, Engel has served as news director at KIRO, which produces eight hours of local news daily, more than any other television station in the United States. From the fall of 1992 until June 1995, Engel served as executive consultant to news and programming teams at WFAA-TV (ABC) in Dallas- Fort Worth; WVEC-TV (ABC) in Hampton-Norfolk, Virginia; KOTV (CBS) in Tulsa, Oklahoma and KIRO. From June 1988 until March 1989, she served as producer of "USA Today the Television Show" in Washington, DC In June 1989, Engel returned to WFAA as assistant news director.

Bill Mosley currently serves as controller at KIRO. In his new position, Mosley will report to Lee Salzberger, senior vice president/administration of Belo's Broadcast Division, and will have financial responsibility for Belo's television and cable entities.

Mosley has served as controller at KIRO since 1995. Prior to joining KIRO, he served as controller at WWL from 1994 until 1995, and was director of finance from 1990 until 1994. From 1986 until 1990, Mosley served as controller at William F. Surgi Equipment Corporation in Harahan, Louisiana. A certified public accountant, Mosley began his career in 1980 at Deloitte Haskins & Sells in New Orleans, where he was promoted to manager in 1986.

Special Report:

Inside The Booming

Audiobook Business

May: National Audiobook Month

By Elaine Davenport

Publisher, Writers AudioShop

May is National Audiobook Month, a celebration of the spoken word sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association (APA). May was chosen because it coincides with announcement of the APA's annual Audie Awards which will take place May 31 in Chicago during Book Expo America, the giant booksellers' trade show. For the first time this year, the Audies, which recognize the best audiobooks published during the previous year in various categories, will be televised.

The $1.5 billion audiobook business is booming, with sales up 70 per cent over the last five years. Some 12 per cent of US households listen to audiobooks, and more than 54,000 titles are available on cassette and/or CD.

"Audiobooks" is the generic term applied to all audio titles featuring the spoken word, which the APA defines as any audio recording that is primarily spoken words rather than music. This covers a wide range of material, from abridged and unabridged recordings of books in all categories and for all ages, to original productions in all categories, including language instruction, self-help, storytelling, non-fiction, erotica, humor etc. etc.

The average listener is 45 years old, a college graduate, with an average income of $49,000, who is also an avid reader of print books. 66 per cent are female; 55% rent or borrow while 45% buy; 75% listen in the car; and 65% listen because they can make the most of their time, doing other things while "reading" with their ears.

Indeed, as more people find they have little time to read with their eyes, they are turning to audiobooks. Increasingly, audiobooks are seen not so much as a means to assist the blind or as a vehicle for infomercials (their old image), but as a form of entertainment and a source of information for the public at large. Libraries are scrambling to keep up with their patrons' requests for audiobooks, and the audiobook section of most bookstores just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

The image of audiobooks got a big boost earlier this year when Hillary Rodham Clinton, US First Lady, received a Grammy Award for the spoken version she read of her book, It Takes A Village (need to put in italics). On the Rosie O'Donnell television talk show, Rosie and Hillary agreed they use audiobooks to keep up with their reading. Other popular television shows, Seinfeld (ital) and Home Improvement (ital), have featured episodes about audiobooks. And a recent TV car ad included an audiobook as part of the adventure of driving.

Newspapers and magazines are reflecting the growing of interest in audiobooks, with more reviews and coverage of the industry. The Christian Science Monitor (ital), which only a few months ago began a monthly audiobook review page, in April produced an 8-page pullout section devoted exclusively to audiobooks. Many major newspapers, including the Boston Globe, now review audiobooks on their book pages. And many, including The New York Times (ital), have run articles on audiobooks.

The trade press also is paying more attention to audiobooks. Publishers Weekly has an audiobooks section in the first issue of each month, which includes stories and reviews. And Billboard magazine runs audiobook reviews and has carried stories on the industry. AudioFile is the leading magazine covering the industry, with both stories and reviews.

Have you ever seen this sign of the times? A car pulls into a parking area, and, instead of getting out immediately, the driver continues to sit attentively. What is the person doing? The odds are good the driver just can't pull her/himself away from an audiobook.

Here are other signs that you're addicted to audiobooks:

• When you drive home the long way so you can finish the chapter/book/scene.
• When you go on a diet to have more to spend on audiobooks.
• When you can't wait for your significant other to leave the house so you can
• get back to your audiobook.
• When you . . . well, you fill in the blank.

For more information on audiobooks in general, the APA's website is: www.audiopub.org or e-mail: Apaonline@aol.com or contact them at 627 Aviation Way, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. voice: 310/372-0546; fax: 310/374-3342.

Elaine Davenport is the founder and publisher the Writer's AudioShop, which specializes in live workshop recordings of the country's top writers, literary agents and editors talking about the ABC's (art, business and craft) of writing. The Writer's AudioShop is a member of the Audio Publishers Association.

Special Report:

College of New Jersey

Annual Writers' Conference

By Amy Kay Watson

Authrolink! New Jersey Correspondent

NEW JERSEY/LATE APR '97--, New Jersey area writers gathered April 17, 1997 at The College of New Jersey for the 18th annual Writers' Conference. The one-day event was organized by poet Jean Hollander, whose most recent publication, a translation of I Am My Own Woman: The Outlaw Life of Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf, Berlin's Most Distinguished Transvestite, was published in 1995.

Two lecturers began the morning for a small gathering by discussing "Writers and the Electronic Media." Eric Lerner (author of The Big Bang Never Happened), and Russell Miller, a lecturer in New Communication Technologies at Hunter College discussed the topic of whether journalists may "benefit from working in the electronic media." they focused on issues of payment and writers' rights, emphasizing that most publications on the Internet have recently been published without giving writers adequate compensation. (cf. The Guide to Freelance Rates and Standard Practice, ISBN 0964420805.) They discussed the different kinds of rights writers should be watching, and emphasized two points: If you are selling, you are a professional and you need to be paid adequately, and second, don't sell any rights that won't be used. They said to strike anything in a contract which refers to technology "yet to be invented" -- or insist on adequate payment.

Publisher Dominick Anfuso of Simon and Schuster, editor Askold Melnyzuk of Agni, and agent Barrie van Dyck comprised the second panel discussion in the morning. They discussed ways in writers should present themselves to publishers, agents, and editors. Anfuso (S&S) emphasized that most large publishers are decreasing the number of titles they will publish by 30-50 titles per year. Both Anfuso and van Dyck stressed that the single most important aspect of fiction which helps causes them to choose a manuscript is "a unique, clear voice which stands out on the first page." Van Dyck said she would continue reading for up to 30 pages to give characters a chance when the narrator's voice does not stand out. For nonfiction, she said she was looking for two things: control over the material, and a review of other material available on the same subject.

Several of the day's workshops were given by fiction and nonfiction writers or poets. I attended one given by author Debbie Lee Wesselman, a "graduate" of this conference and writer of Trutor and the Balloonist, appearing this month. She discussed basics of fiction writing.

A conference highlight was a talk given by Amy Holman, Assistant Director of Information Services at Poets and Writers magazine.

She advised writers to publish in as many literary magazines as possible before submitting novels. To get published, she gave the following "homework":

1. Read through the available guides to literary magazines and publishers, particularly CLMP's Directory of Literary Magazines. Make a list of magazines which you think would like your work.

2. Get stories by authors you like and whose styles your own work resembles, find out which magazines have published them & add to your list.

3. Get hold of these literary magazines and look through them to see what they ACTUALLY publish.

4. For fiction, use the following to evaluate what they publish (and what you write): poetic vs. plainspoken, predominant elements (language, plot, characters, theme, setting, humor), subjective vs. objective, domestic vs. exotic.

5. For poetry, lyric vs. narrative, attitude (philosophical, sentimental, political, humorous), type of language, shape on the page, and structure/form.

6. Send your work to magazines which publish work in the same style as your own!

Amy Kay Watson is the New Jersey news correspondent for Authorlink! E-mail her at AmyKayWat@aol.com with your ideas, feedback and information on forthcoming conferences or events in the NJ area, or contact Authorlink! at dbooth@authorlink.com