Backlist Drives Print Book Unit Gains Higher Through February (publishersweekly.com)

Unit sales of print books rose 3% for the first six months of 2017 compared to the first half of last year at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Units for the January-June period in 2017 totaled 310.7 million, up from 302.8 million a year ago. All four of the major segments had increases over the first six months of 2016, with juvenile fiction having the best performance; unit sales in the category were up 5%. The growth in juvenile nonfiction was just behind fiction, up 4%. Sales in the adult segments were less robust. Adult nonfiction unit sales increased 2% over the first half of 2016, while adult fiction sales rose just under 1%. Click Read More below for additional detail.

Savvas Learning Company, a next-generation K-12 learning solutions leader, is excited to announce that enVision Mathematics© 2024, the newest edition of its proven-effective math series for grades K-12, has received the highest rating of “All-Green” from EdReports. The classroom-tested, teacher-loved enVision K-12 math series provides evidence-based, standards-aligned content, combined with personalized adaptive learning, to support all students in developing deep conceptual math understanding, procedural skills, and fluency. The new edition offers expanded digital resources and even more high-interest, student-centered activities that engage learners in real-world, meaningful math. Also included are a variety of new instructional support tools to save teachers time while providing them flexibility for lesson planning. Offering vertical alignment from kindergarten through grade 12, the curriculum is designed to provide continuity from year-to-year — something that school districts like Johnston County Public Schools in North Carolina value.

Gannett Co., Inc. announced that it is seeking to opportunistically refinance its existing term loan under its senior secured credit facilities. The Company intends to issue senior secured notes to refinance a portion of the term loan and refinance the remainder of the existing term loan with a new senior secured term loan. The proposed refinancing transactions are subject to market and other conditions, and the Company can give no assurances that it will complete any such transactions, in whole or in part, or as to the amount or timing of any such transactions. The new senior secured term loan would be in a principal amount up to $550 million (the “Credit Agreement”). Gannett Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, would be the borrower under the Credit Agreement (the “Borrower”), and lenders are anticipated to include funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Capital Management L.P. Upon closing, the net proceeds of the loans will be used to refinance a portion of the Company’s existing term loan.