After defending herself with a lie in the Hollywood Reporter — “‘not to my knowledge’ did anyone involved with the book engage in an organized strategy to bulk buy at bookstores surveyed by The New York Times to game the best-seller list” — YA author Lani Sarem moves to sister property Billboard with a column that’s supposed to defend herself but instead stands as an admission of guilt and a font of alternative facts. (Why are these Prometheus magazines on her side? We may never know.) Sarem admits to purchasing her own book in bulk, at retail, from multiple retailers, in order […]
Archives for September 2017
People, Etc.
At NBC News, Ariella Prince has been promoted to booking producer, handling author bookings across all NBC News programs and platforms (including Today, NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press, Dateline, Megyn Kelly, and their digital properties). For the past seven years, she has worked under Jackie Levin, booking authors for all hours of the Today Show. Brookings Institution Press editorial director Bill Finan has been promoted to director, and Yelba Quinn has been promoted to assistant director. Quressa Robinson has joined Nelson Literary Agency as an agent, based in New York. Previously she was editor at Thomas Dunne Books and agent […]
Amazon Files Arbitration Against Multiple Bad Actors, Alleging Purchase of Fake Reviews and KDP Fraud
Amazon filed five different arbitration demands against an assortment of people and companies trying “to gain an unfair competitive advantage” within the KDP ecosystem. Two cases allege the creation of “false, misleading, and inauthentic customer reviews for their self-published books sold on Amazon.” Amazon says that, “Despite substantial efforts to stamp out the practice, a small number of bad actors continue to endeavor to use inauthentic reviews to boost their sales.” They also say in their demand that since the start of 2015 they have sued “over 1,000 defendants who offered to post fake reviews in exchange for payment.” The […]
Machado Tops October Indie Next List
The ABA named Carmen Maria Machado’s debut story collection Her Body and Other Parties the No. 1 Indie Next Pick for October. The list features a number of titles excerpted in our Buzz Books 2017 Fall/Winter Collection (noted with asterisks). Plus, two picks, Logical Family by Armistead Maupin and The Prague Sonata by Bradford Morrow, are available as audio excerpts in our October Buzz Books Monthly (NetGalley and iBooks versions only). The rest of the list: The Last Ballad, by Wiley Cash Manhattan Beach, by Jennifer Egan The Rules of Magic, by Alice Hoffman The Twelve-Mile Straight, by Eleanor Henderson* The Glass […]
People, Etc.
Harper announced the creation of Harper Collins Hungary. Harlequin Hungary and junior joint venture partner Vinton, which have operated for 25 years, will rebrand under the Harper Collins name, continuing to publish romance and expanding the trade line with titles from HarperCollins and Harlequin, as well as local authors. Beatrix Vasko, editor-in-chief of HarperCollins Hungary, says: “HarperCollins, with its 200-year history, provides a solid framework for us to grow our publishing program and expand into new genres.” Amazon is searching for a location for a second US headquarters that they’re calling HQ2, a “full equal to our Seattle headquarters.” Bloomberg reports that the company is […]
Barnes & Noble’s Sales Decline Below Expectations Again, and Shares Fall
Barnes & Noble reported earnings for their fiscal first quarter on Thursday morning, through July 29, and the trendlines: Lower sales, lower store comps, and continuing losses, with both sales and earnings missing analysts’ modest expectations, sending shares down almost 12 percent in early trading. Sales of $853 million were $57 million lower, down 6.6 percent, with same-store sales falling 4.9 percent, “as declines in non-book categories outpaced improved book trends during the quarter.” The net loss of $10.8 million was better than the loss of $14.4 million a year ago, though did not improve as much as expected. Nook actually […]