LAT book critic David Ulin is leaving the paper on December 15, among those taking the company’s buyout offer. He writes to LA Observed: “This is an opportunity for me to focus further on my writing, which I have been wanting to do.” The newspaper’s book editor Joy Press left quietly earlier in the year as well (and is working on a book for Atria), and apparently also took a buyout. That seems to leave Carolyn Kellogg as the only staff member focused on books. Rob Kirkpatrick has joined The Stuart Agency as a literary agent, focusing in nonfiction, including […]
Archives for December 2015
Enroll Now for DBW, Launch Kids, Masterclasses and More
The latest early pricing on our big set of conferences for March 7 through March 9 — first the return of Launch Kids, the country’s biggest event for children’s publishing — alongside a day of Mostly Marketing Masterclasses and digital workshops, followed by the two-day Digital Book World Conference, expires tomorrow. So put the DBW roster of events on your calendar now, and lock in the best prices before you come back to work in January. If you’re planning on registering, make sure to use this registration page just for Publishers Lunch readers, which will save you hundreds of dollars on the […]
People
William Wood will join Barnes & Noble as chief information officer, reporting to ceo Ronald Boire. Wood previously served as cio at EZCORP. Boire said in the announcement: “We are thrilled to welcome Bill to Barnes & Noble and are excited to have someone with such broad experience in information technology join the team. Bill is a proven leader in this area and his appointment signals our continued commitment to being a leading omni-channel retailer.” At Penguin Children’s, Jocelyn Schmidt has been promoted to vp, associate publisher, reporting to new president Jen Loja. Schmidt was executive director of brand management. In […]
BN Education Announces Stock Buyback
Now that no one else seems to want its stock since reducing forecasts for the year when reporting quarterly earnings a week ago, Barnes & Noble Education announced that the board has authorized stock repurchases of up to $50 million worth of shares. That has given the company’s shares a small boost in price this morning, though BNED still trades below $9 a share — down over 40 percent from its recent peak on November 27. With a current market capitalization of only about $425 million, that repurchase authority covers a meaningful portion of shares outstanding.
Favorite Books of 2015, From the News Editor
Our tally of the Best of the Best Books of 2015 already points to a consensus, and as it so happens, I, too, count Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff, and A Little Life by Hanya Yanigihara among my favorites for the year. These books are emblematic of major themes in my reading (as well as publishing zeitgeist): Between the World and Me crested the wave, then led subsequent ones, on the country’s lingering, unresolved issues of race and the urgency with which we must reckon with those issues. On the surface, Fates […]
Closing In On The Best of the Best Books of 2015
The last day has brought another big batch of “best books” lists, including ones from the Wall Street Journal, the three individual NYT book critics, the Chicago Tribune, Entertainment Weekly, Shelf Awareness, LAT critic David Ulin, Vanity Fair, and Vogue — as well as Sarah Weinman’s list, published today in Publishers Lunch. And yes, it’s not just your imagination — many of these lists are landing earlier than usual this year. In the weekly update of our comprehensive, absolutely Best of the Best Books of 2015 aggregation, some things have stayed the same and a lot has changed as the nonfiction […]