Mitch Albom will return to fiction with the August 28 release of THE TIME KEEPER, which Hyperion described in release as a “magical new novel” that “re-invents the legend of Father Time, and casts him not as an old, withered man, but as a gifted young boy who becomes the inventor of the world’s first clock.” When the boy is ” eventually punished for trying to measure God’s greatest gift, [he] is banished to a cave for centuries, forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more time, more minutes, more years. Eventually, with his […]
Archives for May 2012
People: Frost, Ambrosi, Fuentes, and George
Former president and publisher of the Crown Publishing Group Jenny Frost has joined Scholastic as epublisher and svp ebook strategy. Frost has been working as a consultant for the past two years. Sterling vp marketing and publicity Leigh Ann Ambrosi will join Crown Archetype in the newly created position of vp, Brand Publishing Project Director on June 4, reporting to Tina Constable. In her position, Ambrosi will serve as project director for select publications by key health, fitness, and self-help authors within the Crown Archetype and Harmony Books imprints, and she will also serve as the primary liaison with the author […]
Judge Cote Rejects Motions to Dismiss Agency Class Action Suit; Shows Sympathy for the Plaintiffs
US District Judge Denise Cote formally denied motions by the five agency publishers and Apple to dismiss the class action suit on behalf of ebook consumers over the alleged conspiracy to raise ebook prices via the agency model. The ruling was not unexpected, given the relatively low standards of “stat[ing] a plausible claim” for such a suit to go forward: “Proving conspiracy requires demonstrating ‘a unity of purpose or a common design and understanding, or a meeting of minds in an unlawful arrangement.’ The [complaint] plausibly alleges that each of the defendants shared the twin purposes of raising the price […]
Responses to the Georgia State University Fair Use Ruling
A number of plaintiffs and interested parties have responded Monday to last week’s ruling in the Georgia State University e-reserves lawsuit that found 5 instances of infringement but otherwise dismissed more than 64 instances, and AAP president Tom Allen and the organization’s lead attorney in the case Bruce Rich convened a press briefing by phone on Tuesday morning. Allen that the AAP alone has invested “several million dollars” in the case so far. He underscored that “our members are very conscious that the universities and their libraries are our customers.” Allen added, “our hope is that this is an important […]
People: Changes at the Top for Nebraska Book, McGraw-Hill Education
Mark Oppegard, ceo of bankrupt NBC Acquisition Corp.–the owner of Nebraska Book Co.–will retire after 14 years leading the company and 42 years of service in all. He will stay on as evp “during a transition period that’s expected to last several months.” COO since 1999 Barry Major takes over as ceo. SVP at the college store division’s Neebo brand Steven Clemente moves up to coo. He joined the company in 2010. Report While McGraw-Hill is in “the final stages” of their search for a new head for their education division prior to its spinoff at the end of the […]
Legal Briefs: 17 More States Join Amended eBook Pricing Complaint; ‘Godfather’ Sequel Proceeds in Escrow; and More
Late last week 16 more states, as well as the District of Columbia, joined the amended ebook pricing complaint against Apple and the ‘Agency Five’ publishers, bringing the number of states involved in the lawsuit to 32. Texas and Connecticut initially filed the complaint at the same time as the DOJ; among the new plaintiffs are Virginia, Indiana, New York, and Wisconsin. Page One Bookstore in Albuquerque, NM, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2011, said it expects final approval of a reorganization plan to move forward as a going concern “shortly,” according to the Albuquerque Journal. Owner […]