Lee Enterprises admits that its business has been affected by a cyber attack. “The incident impacted the Company’s operations, including distribution of products, billing, collections, and vendor payments,” the firm says in an SEC filing. It adds, “Distribution of print publications across our portfolio of products experienced delays, and online operations were partially limited.”

Commenting on the results, Nigel Newton, Chief Executive, said: “Bloomsbury delivered excellent results in the first half with year-on-year revenue growth of 29% to £100.7 million and profit growth of 225% to £12.9 million. These are our highest ever first half sales and profits. These results demonstrate the strength and resilience of our strategy of publishing for both the consumer and academic markets, and our growth of digital revenues. Both divisions had outstanding performances. The Consumer division continued the momentum of last year with 29% revenue growth and a £5.6 million increase in profit before tax and highlighted items to £8.4 million. Bestsellers during the period included Tom Kerridge’s Outdoor Cooking, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Since the period end Bloomsbury authors have won two of the most important prizes in the literary world, The Nobel Prize for Literature and The Women’s Prize, which were won by Abdulrazak Gurnah and Susanna Clarke respectively. We congratulate them both. The Non-Consumer division saw 27% growth and a £3.2 million increase in profit before tax and highlighted items to £4.6 million. Bloomsbury Digital Resources grew by 44% in addition to a very strong recovery in print sales, which grew by 34%. The focus on our online academic digital resource strategy means we are well placed to continue to benefit from the accelerated shift by academic institutions to digital products to support hybrid learning.

In a reversal of the usual flow of things, GrillGirl.com founder Robyn Lindars has started a print magazine. Grill Girl is available at retailers and grocery stores nationwide, including Barnes & Noble, CVS and Walmart. Lindars, who started offering outdoor grilling recipes in 2008, went into print to help “elevate everyone’s grilling game,” she states. Each issue will feature over 25 recipes and advice on how to pick the right grill, grill the perfect steak, cook an entire meal on the grill and plank grill pizzas.