Hachette CEO Michael Pietsch On Book Sales, Copyright, And More

Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Peach addressed several current industry issues in a letter to agents and authors. Fishing in 2010 Sales in 2022 compared to 2021 are still above pre-pandemic levels, he said, adding that he hopes "the reading and listening habits many people have developed during the pandemic will keep us going." In the next years". Looking at the good news and the bad, Peach writes that “the high cost of printing and shipping the books has stayed with us” as the publishing schedule returns to normal.

In terms of copyright, Peach said he was a named plaintiff in a 2020 Internet Archive copyright infringement lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that the Internet Archive Pitch used what he described as a "man-made structure" that controlled digital lending for the "mass piracy" of copyrighted books. The case is still in court and the judge is expected to rule on a summary judgment later this year.

HBG is also actively involved in the fight against banned books, Pitch said. Citing efforts by organizations such as the Banned Books Club, Children's Literacy and the National Council Against Censorship to advocate for free speech. Books for All Campaign, New York Public Library, American Library Association Unite Against Book Bans and PEN Action Against Book Bans Initiative.

HBG's sales and marketing campaigns continue to grow, with Pitch showcasing several new initiatives in this area, including the use of self-produced videos to promote titles. Major expansion of consumer site and mailing list to, among other things, increase direct-to-consumer sales of print books from the HBG site; and the development of the rapporteur's office. Pitch wrote that when the outbreak ended, HBG continued direct marketing activities.

HBG's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at We Need Books, including the Hurston/Wright Foundation, Lambda Literary and the City College of New York, include sponsorship and endorsement of the Hurston/ Wright Writers Week. Dan Peach rightly states that HBG is "one of the few publishers who publicly report on our annual progress in this area".

Finally, Peach continued in-person HBG into the fall, with the group meeting two days a week at the office. “I strongly believe this hybrid approach will improve the collaboration we lost in three years of working remotely, while maintaining the flexibility and focus we've learned working from home can provide,” he wrote. "Our goal, as always, is to provide the best possible partnership to all of our authors and agents and to publish your book with the passion, expertise and creativity you deserve."