In a year where much news was not good and where publishers all over struggled to make money or break even, Simon & Schuster lucked out. CEO Jack Romanos‘s year-end letter highlights some of the most notable achievements, including 21 books on New York Times’ combined bestseller lists the week of December 24, the 2.7 million copies to date sold of YOU: ON A DIET (only in stores since November 1, making it S&S’s fastest-selling hardcover in company history) Diane Setterfield‘s #1 bestselling debut THE THIRTEENTH TALE and the success of Jeanette Walls‘ THE GLASS CASTLE in paperback.
Outside the US, success was had in Canada, as the company reported 15 percent growth in an essentially flat industry, expansion into India, and successful migration of their transaction system from mainframe
technology into a server-based environment. 2007 will see S&S begin
construction of a Digital Archive, with 12,000 titles expected in digital format by the end of the year.