After a near two-year odyssey of complaints, documents, motions to dismiss, and plaintiff changes, the lawsuit seeking class action status against Author Solutions alleging multiple breaches completed discovery on January 22 and is moving to the next stage. A February 26 filing in New York’s Southern District Court by Kelvin James, Jodi Foster, and Mary Simmons (added to the suit after Terry Hardy dropped out in the fall of 2013) asks Judge Denise Cote for certification of the class, covering 170,000 or more authors “who, during the period 2007 through the present, purchased a publishing package or service from Author Solutions.” The plaintiffs say their lawsuit […]
Archives for February 2015
People, Etc.
Julia Pastore will join Harper One as executive editor on March 2. She has been executive editor at Demos Health, prior to which she was senior editor at Crown Archetype. Michele Cobb has joined the Audio Publishers Association as executive director. She currently owns MLC Consulting, which provides PR, sales, marketing and business development services for the publishing industry, and was previously vp, sales & marketing for AudioGo. At Random House Children’s Books, Maggie Gibson has been promoted to production associate. Deputy editor of the Boston Globe’s Idea section Amanda Katz announced on Twitter earlier this week she is “moving to a […]
Almost Expired: Our PM Discount Code
That special discount code for new PublishersMarketplace.com subscribers we introduced on Groundhog Day officially expires at the end of the February — so if you are interested, this is your last chance. As a reminder, here’s how it works: When you use the code 2015, you’ll get your first month’s worth of all of the resources at PublishersMarketplace.com for just $15, a “rollback” to our original price. On the second of our two registration pages, when you are asked to “choose a payment plan,” just enter that code 2015 in the “Promo code:” box. Having a full month at a discount is […]
Bookselling: Borderlands Sustained By Members; Positive Outlook Post-Winter Institute
Borderlands Books in San Francisco, which announced last month it was set to close as a result of the city’s new law mandating minimum wage increases, will stay open thanks to a membership drive. Not only did the store reach its goal of 300 subscribers contributing at least $100 to keep the store open through March 31, 2016, but Borderlands co-owner Alan Beatts told the SF Chronicle it now has more than 500 sponsors. “It’s been incredible,” Beatts said. “I had no idea that this would get so much attention from the press, from the public. I was astonished by […]
Pearson “Completed Our Intense Two Year Restructuring”; Names PRH’s Williams CFO
Pearson announced preliminary annual results Friday morning, with sales of £4.874 billion down 4 percent (but up 2 percent on a constant-exchange-rate basis) and higher operating profit of £720 million — with lower restructuring charges but a higher tax rate, leaving earnings down to 66.7 pence per share, compared to 70.1 pence per share a year ago. Those results were in line with their “trading update” from earlier this year. Chief executive John Fallon declared, “We’ve completed our intense two year restructuring and reinvestment programme and performed well competitively despite some challenging market conditions.” The company forecast improved adjusted earnings per share of […]
Orhan’s Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian Tops April Indie Next List
The preview version of the April Indie Next List has Orhan’s Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian as indie booksellers’ No. 1 selection for the month. The list also includes World Gone By by Dennis Lehane; A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley; The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, and The Children’s Crusade by Ann Packer, excerpts of which you can read right now in Buzz Books 2015: Spring/Summer, if you have not downloaded your copy yet. The rest of the list features: The Witch of Painted Sorrows, by M.J. Rose At The Water’s Edge, by Sara Gruen What Comes Next and How […]