Germany’s Herder will publish The Complete Works of Joseph Ratzinger in a 16-book series, according to Bishop Gerhard Muller of Regensburg. The Catholic News Service says “Bishop Muller said the pope wants to make it clear that the works, almost all of which were completed before his election in 2005, reflect his personal theological thought and not the magisterial teaching of the church.” Director of the Vatican Publishing House Father Giuseppe Costa “said discussions already are under way with the U.S.-based Ignatius Press to publish English translations of the volumes.” CNS
Archives for October 2008
People and More
Laetitia Rutherford is leaing Tody Eady Associates after five years to joing Mulcahy Conway Associates as an agent, starting November 1. I gave the wrong link for the promotional letter at Amazon UK from Harper UK ceo Victoria Barnsley: it’s been featured on the books home page, not the general home page, at www.amazon.co.uk/books History and military publisher and distributor Casemate will distribute recent start-up history publisher Amberley Publishing as November 1 in the UK and the US. “With a team already numbering 16 and shortly increasing to 30, Amberley will provide a fresh approach to local and specialist history […]
Should Have Seen that Coming Dept.: Murdoch Unhappy with Wolff Book
It took a dizzying set of manipulations to produce today’s NYT story about Michael Wolff’s forthcoming book about Rupert Murdoch, which treats Murdoch’s path to an early look like a leak harmful to national security. The essence: Murdoch obtained an early copy of the book, and objected: “I have just read four or five chapters of your book,” he wrote to Wolff. “It contains some extremely damaging misstatements of fact which I will be happy to point out to you if we could meet. Otherwise I will have no option other than to speak to Random House.” The NYT says […]
Woe Canada; Currency Plunge Squeezes Publishers
This time last year Canadian publishers and retailers were grappling with consumer anger over higher Canadian prices for books after the US dollar hit historic lows against the country’s currency. Discounts were applied at all levels (in part to keep sales from crossing the border to US retailers and suppliers) and for 2009 most major publishers repriced their books to be near or equal to US pricing. But it was what you would call a “good problem,” helping Canadian divisions of the big publishing conglomerates to produce another year of strong financial results. But now, in just under a month’s […]
Quarto Remains Confident
After reporting a loss three months ago, the Quarto Group says that sales for their fiscal third quarter were 34.9 million pounds, well ahead of last year (when they acquired MBI) but growing at a slower rate than in the first two quarters of year. They now say operating profit for the nine months of this fiscal year are 6.2 million pounds, up 15 percent from a year ago. (Interest on borrowings to acquire MBI reduces those profits by 2.7 million pounds.) CEO Laurence Orbach says “We remain on the lookout for growth opportunities.” The company cites a “very strong […]
Bolano's Other Publisher
As Andrew Wylie prepares to take over the Roberto Bolano estate and sell newly “discovered” works (per the story we cited earlier), the Observer visits with New Directions editor-in-chief Barbara Epler, who first published Bolano in the US. She originally acquired BY NIGHT IN CHILE from Christopher MacLehose at Harvill Press, along with two other books–and then went on to acquire rights to all but the “major” works, Savage Detectives and the forthcoming 2666 from agent Carmen Balcells. In all New Directions controls “seven short novels, two books of short stories, an essay collection and a volume of poetry called […]