O’Reilly Media’s guide book Wikipedia: The Missing Manual is now available for free online as a Wikipedia entry itself–and open to editing and updating like any other posting on the online encyclopedia. Editor Peter Meyers says “the book is going to reside in the site’s Help area, naturally, since the book is all about helping people edit and navigate their way around Wikipedia…. Our hope is that the Wikipedia community will flock to the book and ‘curate’ it by adding tips, tricks, and by updating the material to reflect changes to Wikipedia since we’ve published the original edition. Down the […]
Archives for January 2009
Keeping Book Soup Warm
“In the wake of owner Glenn Goldman’s death, employees and colleagues ponder the future of the independent bookstore” Book Soup, the LAT writes. The store, and other surviving indies in the LA area, report good results from last year. “According to manager Tyson Cornell, Book Soup did ‘very well’ last year. So did Los Feliz independent Skylight Books, which recently expanded from 2,000 to 3,100 square feet. This December, says manager and co-owner Kerry Slattery, Skylight’s sales were 17% higher than last year. Overall sales for the year were 7.5 % higher.” Efforts to find a new owner for Book […]
Children's Awards to Gaiman and Krommes
Given this morning at the ALA’s mid-winter meeting, the Newbery Medal for 2009 went to Neil Gaiman’s THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. The Caldecott Medal went to THE HOUSE IN THE NIGHT, illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie Swanson. For honor books and the many other awards presented this morning, visit the ALA’s site or Twitter feed.
Lunch Weekly for Monday, January 26
Deal Reports Just e-mail to deals@PublishersMarketplace if you aren’t using the online form linked below. Report a deal using the online form The Key As usual, the handy key to our Lunch deal categories. While all reports are always welcome, those that include a category will generally receive a higher listing when it comes time to put them all together. “nice deal” $1 – $49,000 “very nice deal” $50,000 – $99,000 “good deal” $100,000 – $250,000 “significant deal” $251,000 – $499,000 “major deal” $500,000 and up FICTION Debut Sam Munson’s THE NOVEMBER CRIMINALS, a novel composed for the University […]
NBCC Award Nominees
Book critics were ready to declare Roberto Bolano’s 2666 the novel of the year before it was even published so the National Book Critics Circle might as well have given it the award rather than just a nomination on Saturday, along with Dexter Filkins’ everybody’s Top Ten list THE FOREVER war. But the other categories and their nominees range a little further (and M. Glenn Talyor’s nominated novel The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart comes from the West Virginia University Press): FictionRoberto Bolano, 2666Marilynne Robinson, HomeAleksandar Hemon, The Lazarus ProjectM. Glenn Talyor, The Ballad of Trenchmouth TaggartElizabeth Strout, Olive Kittredge Nonfiction […]
From the UK: Sales Fall at Smiths; Waterstone's New "Hosts"; Puffing Caroline Michel and More
A burst of short items from the United Kingdom: Sales at WH Smith‘s high street stores for the nine weeks ending January 17 declined 7 percent compared to a year ago. (They were down 7 percent for the past 20 weeks as well on a comp basis.)Company release Over at Waterstone’s, Nick Hornby and Kate Mosse will merchandise special Writer’s Tables at the chain stores. (The program started last year with tables from Sebastian Faulks and Philip Pullman.) The Guardian redefines the paradigm of a puff piece, as their reporter is thrilled to get the “first interview” with Caroline Michel […]