While there are number of issues of contention between the late Stieg Larsson’s heirs (his father Erland and his brother Joakim) and his partner of thirty years Eva Gabrielsson, one matter has unfortunately been resolved. Joakim Larsson tells us “we have an agreement not to publish” the 200 pages of unfinished manuscript for a fourth book in The Girl… series. Eva Gedin, fiction publisher at Norstedts–which bought world rights to the first three books directly from the author–confirms her understanding that the Larssons and Gabrielsson “mutually decided that a fourth novel will not be published.” Joakim Larsson notes that he […]
Archives for June 2009
Waterstone's Makes Year's Drop in Sales and Profits Sound Strong
Waterstone’s parent has updated the sparse sales statistics provided in late April with their “preliminary results” for the fiscal year. The basic numbers are the same (comp sales still fell 3.8 percent), though they add actual sales for the year–548.3 million pounds–and profits, at 10 million pounds down 38.5 percent from the previous year. The decline in earnings is attributed to “the sales decline, a 10 basis points reduction in gross margin due to the higher mix of online sales, and £2.0m of book hub start-up costs, partially offset by cost control measures, including bonus savings.” They also too “exceptional […]
People: Weisbach Gets Three New Associates
Rob Weisbach Creative Management announced a relationship with three new senior associates, Erin Cox, David Groff, and Jake Bauman, who are becoming part of the company’s “virtual team.” (They work collaboratively–“operating independently but in collaboration”–though not from the same physical office space.) Cox will represent authors, offer publicity expertise, and provide publicity and promotion services for outside clients, and work with corporate clients including Conde Nast Digital and the Frankfurt Book Fair. She was most recently book publishing director at the New Yorker. Independent editor Groff will develop a client list and provide editorial guidance, while offering editorial services to […]
Go Ask Alice: Author Hoffman Shows Authors Not to Tweet In Anger, Apologizes
With one angry electronic outburst novelist Alice Hoffman may have changed how many readers view her. After novelist and longtime critic Roberta Silman wrote a mildly critical review of Hoffman’s THE STORY SISTERS in the Boston Globe, Hoffman reacted with a series of angry tweets. Not just a grumpy post or two, but 27 in all, according to NY Magazine (they have now been deleted, along with the corresponding Twitter account.) The series of 140-character-or-less insults also included Silman’s phone number and e-mail address (with a typo) and a rallying cry to “Tell her what u think of snarky critics.” […]
Bookselling News: Praising Politics & Prose; Espresso Self-Publishing; Online Bookstore Dating; BN's App; and More
A number of interesting stories that first appeared in the PL Automat: – The Washington Post profiles the “doyennes” who “nurture” the “landmark” store Politics & Prose. And they look at the store’s p&l: “After paying $3.9 million for books, $1.6 million for payroll and covering the rest of their expenses, the store earned $73,000 last year. The co-owners split $173,000 in salary and bonus. Carla Cohen said a big mistake was trying to run the coffeehouse downstairs themselves. They sub-contract it out and earn $4,000 a month. The store’s Web site is not a big profit center, averaging 200 […]
Google Settlement: The Defense Speaks
Those in favor of the Google Books legal settlement have started airing their views in public over the last week or so. As linked via the Automat, we’re collecting a number of those pieces here for interested readers. Today Oxford US president Tim Barton has the longest and most nuanced piece of what he dubs the “Good Book Settlement”–only it’s currently behind the paywall at the Chronicle of Higher Education. (We’re told it should be available more broadly soon.) He balances what the settlement offers while acknowledging some of its flaws: “It can and should be improved. But after long […]