Though Hurricane Irene largely spared the New York City area, many places further north have proven to be far less fortunate. In Vermont, which is suffering from some of the worst flooding in the state’s history, Bartelby’s Books was “ruined” by the flooding, owner Lisa Sullivan told Shelf Awareness in an email. The building was flooded but is still standing, and Sullivan said, pending help from FEMA and removing books and other items from the store, “We plan to rebuild as soon as possible.” Sullivan also owns the Book Cellar in Brattleboro, which closed indefinitely after a fire in its […]
Archives for August 2011
Chorion Reportedly Close to Bankruptcy After Two Key Executives Resign
Literary brand management company Chorion, which controls the rights to the estates of Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler and other notable crime writers, along with UK children’s properties like Noddy and Mr. Men, may be forced into administration by its lenders after failing to raise funds, according to a report in the Sunday Times. Though the paper indicated that Deloitte has been retained to oversee a potential bankruptcy “as soon as this week,” the Telegraph quotes a “source close to one of the banks” as indicating that several options were being considered. “Administration is not something we are about to push the […]
CIA Demands Extensive Cuts To Former FBI Agent’s 9/11 Book
Former FBI agent Ali H. Soufan’s THE BLACK BANNERS: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against Al Qaeda is scheduled to be published on September 12 by Norton, but the version that will hit the market will be heavily redacted thanks to a number of objections from the CIA. According to the NYT, Soufan’s memoir, written with Daniel Freedman, argues “that the CIA missed a chance to derail the 2001 plot by withholding from the F.B.I. information about two future 9/11 hijackers living in San Diego,” and also offers a firsthand account of the agency’s move towards brutal […]
Google Settles with La Martiniere; Will Launch Google eBooks In France
Google has settled its differences with another French publisher, La Martiniere. Perhaps more importantly, they acknowledge that Google eBooks is coming to France. (Now we just need to know when.) The companies will work together to put the publisher’s out-of-print, in-copyright books online, which “effectively ends the legal dispute” between the two. In 2009 a French court ordered Google to pay La Martiniere a small fine for scanning their books without permission. (They sought 15 million euros in damages, and were awarded 300,000 euros.) AFP says Google has now withdrawn their legal appeal–but indicates the company has not settled yet […]
ePublishing Initiatives from Objective Entertainment and Folio
Objective Entertainment is the latest literary agency to launch an e-publishing initiative, forming a separate company, Paperless Publishing, to issue ebook originals. Founded by Objective’s Jarred Weisfeld, Meghan Kilduff has moved over from Objective to serve as publisher and acquisitions manager for the new company. Paperless Publishing is focused on short-form content only, and Weisfeld underscores they do not intend to compete with established major publishers. The new company is looking to acquire short-form works on pop culture, poetry, romance, politics, general nonfiction, and graphic novels. They aim to publish “100 books next year,” and Weisfeld says they “have already […]
People, Etc.: Frey Promises He’s “Done With Books”
A couple of years after publishers decided they were through with James Frey, at the launch party for Booktrack (the company creating soundtracks for books), he promises, “I’m done writing books.” Frey also promises that he did not write the “Pittacus Lore” YA books. “The only books I’ve written are the ones with my names on them, and I’m never writing another book. I have other things to do in life. I’m not bored with it—I’m still going to do television shows and movies and videogames. I just like having other people write books for me, you know?” (When I […]