William Morris Endeavor has hired former Microsoft chief financial officer Peter Klein. He will oversee the global finance operation for IMG Worldwide once that acquisition closes, along with WME. (Approvals for the acquisition are expected to take a number of months). First published last August but only available online now, Esquire ran an extensive look at Proof of Heaven author Dr. Eben Alexander, depicting him as “a neurosurgeon with a troubled history,” including documenting accusations of malpractice and in one case a “purported cover-up” in which he changed his surgical notes to eliminate evidence of an error. Reporter Luke Dittrich quotes […]
Archives for December 2013
Briefs: Authors Guild To Appeal Google Book Search Ruling; Rowling Leak Lawyer Fined; and More
On December 23 the Authors Guild and the named author plaintiffs filed notice with New York federal court that it intends to appeal Judge Denny Chin’s November 14 dismissal of the case on fair use grounds. The AG was told on December 10 that it had two weeks to file an appeal, and did so right on schedule. Meanwhile, Apple and the Department of Justice continue to square off over the effectiveness of independent monitor Michael Bromwich, with the DOJ filing a 30-page rebuttal to Apple’s request for a stay after it accused Bromwich of charging too much, taking up […]
Coming Up Soon In 2014
The way the holidays fall, the big fifth-annual Digital Book World happens in the second full work week of January, from the 13th through the 15th. It will be our biggest show yet in all respects — more attendees, more exhibitors, more tracks, more headliners, and more parallel events (including the return of our own one-day Launch Kids event focused on children’s publishing) than ever before. Avoid higher on-site pricing by registering now — and remember that Publishers Lunch readers always get the best discount available on individual conference and value-packed “total access pass” tickets, since we are a co-founder and co-presenter of DBW: […]
Court Affirms Pre-1923 Sherlock Holmes Characters Are in Public Domain, Free for Use
Just before Christmas the matter of Sherlockian Leslie Klinger’s lawsuit against the Conan Doyle Estate to establish whether the character Sherlock Holmes was in the public domain, and that derivative works did not require licensing fees, was resolved, with Judge Ruben Castillo of Illinois federal court granting Klinger’s summary judgment motion for the most part. In his 22-page opinion, Castillo ruled that Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and any other character first introduced in the 46 Conan Doyle stories and four novels published before 1923 are in the public domain and free for use — but that story elements from 10 […]
Expectations
For us it’s that time of year when we are neither fully nor entirely off. Publishers Lunch will be occasional until 2014, as the news requires/allows. (We’ll be back at least once next week with deals and links at a minimum.) Publishers Marketplace continues to operate as usual, and we will report new deals, list new job openings, clip news to the Automat and post longer news items as they arise. If you’re tring to catch up a little, it’s a great time to update your contact info or refresh your member page. Don’t forget that our Launch Kids event comes up […]
Simon & Schuster Looks to Record Finish
Simon & Schuster ceo Carolyn Reidy dispatched her end-of-year letter to employees on Friday afternoon, noting that “If sales through the end of December hold to our projections, I’m happy to report that we will deliver record profits, a healthy gain in revenues, and our best-ever margins.” The company finishes the year with the quick-to-market children’s bestseller WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?, and Reidy celebrates successful titles and new initiatives from across the company. Among those achievements, “we significantly increased our publishing activity with the ‘indie’ authors, from trailblazers such as Jamie McGuire, Jennifer Probst, Colleen Hoover, and Abbie Glines […]