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| David Allen | |
Australian bookstore chain Dymocks has named David Allen as its new CEO, effective September 8, Books+Publishing reported. Allen replaces outgoing CEO Mark Newman, who announced he would be stepping down earlier this month after five years in the role.
Allen spent more than 12 years with jewelry company Pandora, holding senior leadership roles, including president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, "a division with over A$2.5 billion [about US$1.6 billion] in revenue," Dymocks noted.
"This appointment is a statement of our ambition," said Dymocks Group chairman John Forsyth. "David is the world-class operator we need to grow our market share and build on our 146-year legacy as a cornerstone of Australia's cultural life."
Allen commented: "To lead a brand that is part of Australia's cultural identity is a profound responsibility. I look forward to working with the corporate team, store managers and our passionate network of franchisees to amplify that unique strength and ensure Dymocks remains the most loved destination for Australian readers and gift-givers."
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Super Thursday, the U.K. publishing industry's annual day (usually during the first full week of October) when more new hardcovers are released than on any other day of the year, is being dubbed "Not-so-Super Thursday" in 2025. The Bookseller reported that this year's edition "will be the lightest since the phenomenon was first identified in 2008, and comes amid a sharp drop in frontlist titles from trade publishers in the run-up to Christmas."
Super Thursday will fall on October 9, with just over 1,000 new books slated to be published, of which 316 are hardbacks, according to NielsenIQ BookData. The Bookseller noted that the previous low was in 2023, when 341 hardbacks were released, compared to before the pandemic, when the day would routinely feature around 550 hardbacks, "with other 'mini-Super Thursdays'--usually in mid-September and late October--recording launches of circa 350 hardbacks."
This year's reduction "seems a concerted strategy, coming at a time when several houses have extolled the virtues of 'fewer but better' publishing," the Bookseller added, noting: "The contraction of titles also perhaps reflects a wariness among trade publishers of a shaky nonfiction market, even though autumn is the category's prime season.... It is perhaps important to stress here that the volume of titles released is no predictor of a publisher's Christmas run-in performance--and, of course, a reduced slate may actually boost sales and the bottom line."
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Bookseller moment: Australian bookshop Gleebooks in Dulwich Hill, New South Wales, posted on Instagram: "Tree hugging for booksellers. Too many boxes. Send help." --Robert Gray