A Quiet Fall Variety’s take on the NBA nominations and the fall fiction season: “They’re a crutch for publishers in a shaky marketplace, and this year they could certainly use the boost.” Random House’s Stuart Applebaum calls October “desultory month for book retailers.” He also offers this: “Most major trade book publishers are despairing of the relative obscurity of the finalists,” says Applebaum. “But many of us respect the National Book Foundation and their judges for sticking to their principles. “They want to endorse as finalists those books that they believe in, irrespective of whether it will deny them corporate […]
