Bonnier News - September 2009

Idol – bigger and better than ever

By Niklas Sessler on 2009-09-29
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We cross our fingers and gasp in amazement. We laugh, we cry. Eleven thousand contestants are narrowed down to eleven. And those eleven eventually become just one. Idol, the competition we love and hate, is back. And this time, it’s bigger and better than ever.    

Photo: Daniel Ohlsson/TV4

"We'll be broadcasting 40 hours of Idol this year — in other words: an entire working week," says Magnus Karlsson Lamm, executive producer of Idol 2009 (Sweden's American Idol).  "That's more than ever before. The series is now in its seventh season, and it seems that it's not only the viewers who enjoy the show — the critics do, too. Of course, the viewers are our top priority."

The Dan Brown Code

By Niklas Sessler on 2009-09-24
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On October 21st, what is perhaps the most eagerly awaited book of the year will hit Swedish bookstores. Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, the sequel to The Da Vinci Code, sold over one million copies in the U.S. in its first day on the shelves. In Sweden, more than 275,000 copies have already been pre-ordered. But it hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing up to this point.     

You don't have to speak with many people in the book world to understand that nothing has been the same since The Da Vinci Code. The novel, published in 2003 (2004 in Sweden), has sold 80 million copies worldwide — 1.1 million in Sweden alone. Over 700,000 of these were in hardback, making it by far Sweden's bestselling hardback book of all time. Now, five years later, the sequel has finally arrived.

Thienemann launches new imprint

By Niklas Sessler on 2009-09-17
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The German book publisher Thienemann launches a new imprint - Planet Girl - addressing girls and young women.  

For many years, the German publishing house Thienemann has been publishing childrens' and young adult books. Thienemann is especially known for the notably successful series 'Cheeky girls - cheeky books': about 8 million copies have been sold in Germany up to now.

Science Illustrated launches in Australia and Germany

By Niklas Sessler on 2009-09-16
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Two new editions of Science Illustrated will be published on the same day, but on opposite sides of the globe.

On the 16th of September, the two new editions will hit the newsstands in Australia and Germany.

Evita Storms the Magazine Market

By Niklas Sessler on 2009-09-15
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Do you eat when you're not even hungry? Did you believe that the open air is good for you because of the oxygen? What if your childhood memories were false? Answers to these and other questions can be found in a new magazine called Evita.     

The first issue of this glossy magazine focusing on wellbeing has just hit the Finnish newsstands. And after less than a week, the magazine has sold 29,000 copies, more than 70 percent of the budget.

Evita brings you the latest research and up-to-date information on health, nutrition and mental balance. In addition to this, the magazine tackles beauty, wellbeing, active leisure, exercise and travel.

SF boost production activities

By Niklas Sessler on 2009-09-10
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Scandinavian major Svensk Filmindustri is further strengthening its production activities in the Nordic countries. 

The present level of production at Svensk Filmindustri (SF) is higher then ever and several new films are either in development, in production, in post-production, or are ready to have its theatrical releases and to be exploited on the international market.

Bonnier Magazines Finalists for Best Cover of the Year

By Niklas Sessler on 2009-09-10
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Four Bonnier Corp. titles are finalists in the 2009 Best Cover contest by the American Society of Magazine Editors. Saveur, Field & Stream, Garden Design and Home: Miami were selected as finalists in their respective categories from among more than 350 submissions.  

The new and exciting part of the cover contest this year is that for the first time the general public will help to decide the winners. All finalists are being posted on Amazon.com so that regular folks including you can choose their favorites. Vote here. 

Most Delicious Cover: Saveur April 2009

Best in Sports & Fitness: Field & Stream February 2009

Bonnier R&D sponsors Sweden Social Web Camp

By Linnea Pontvik on 2009-09-10
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One weekend in late August, 200 of the most active players on Sweden's Internet scene gathered on an island off the southeast coast of Sweden to discuss social media on the Web. The event, Sweden Social Web Camp, was sponsored in part by Bonnier R&D.

Photo: Emanuel Hallklint

Tomas Wennström, the Internet entrepreneur behind the podcast and blog whatsnext.com, along with the sites vackertvader.se and hittarecept.se, came up with the idea for the Camp.

Richard Johnson becomes CEO of Bonnier Publishing

By Niklas Sessler on 2009-09-10
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Richard Johnson has been appointed CEO of Bonnier Publishing. Richard has been acting CEO for the past six months in addition to maintaining his role as CFO, a position he has held for the past four years.

He was formally Finance Director of Autumn Publishing which now forms part of Bonnier Publishing.

Maria Curman, chairman of Bonnier Books said 'I am delighted that Richard has agreed to take on this role. His considerable knowledge of Bonnier and the companies that make up Bonnier Publishing will I am sure help him grow and develop the business. Bonnier is committed to Children's book publishing and to growing its position in the English language markets. This position is key to the development of that strategy '