At Hachette Book Group, Todd McGarity has been promoted to the new, expanded role of vp, business development. He will now “lead HBG’s growth through acquisition efforts,” while continuing to run the client services (distribution) business.
Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul, 85, died on August 11 at his home in London. Born in Trinidad to emigrants from India, he authored numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, including A House for Mr. Biswas and In A Free State, which won the Booker in 1971. When he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001, the Swedish Academy described him as “a literary circumnavigator, only ever really at home in himself, in his inimitable voice.”
Grants
The Amazon Literary Partnership program announced this year’s 70 recipients of grants, designed “to give writers access to tools, training, and support that will help them tell their stories and find their readers.” Journalist and author Neal Thompson oversees the program now, working under director of Amazon in the Community Alice Shobe. She says, “Writing takes time and commitment and we are thrilled to be able to support organizations that share our desire to energize authors’ careers. Seeing the payoff is awesome.” As the Seattle Times notes, “Amazon’s [literary] donations [have] remained at about $1 million annually during a decade in which the company’s revenue jumped by more than 8 times.”
Forthcoming
Harper Design officially announced the release of the forthcoming October 30 Justin Timberlake book we reported in early June. It’s titled HINDSIGHT & All the Things I Can’t See in Front of Me, written with Sandra Bark, will be available October 30th everywhere books are sold.
Recalled
Crown’s Rodale Books unit posted a notice that, along with author Johnna Holmgren, they “have decided to discontinue the publication and promotion” of TALES FROM A FORAGER’S KITCHEN, published in May. “We are encouraging retailers to return their stock, and we are offering a full refund to consumers who have purchased the book. Consumers should email foragerskitchen@rodalebooks.com for more information. We are all committed to publishing books that offer reliable and comprehensive guidance about their subjects and we regret the inconvenience to our booksellers and readers.” Concerns had been expressed over “the preparation and cooking of recipes with raw ingredients (mushrooms and elderberries),” as well elderberries and unleached acorns. Holmgren is popular on Instagram under the handle Fox Meets Bear. Her website does say, “I am not a health professional, medical doctor, nor a nutritionist. It is up to the reader to verify nutritional information and health benefits with qualified professionals for all edible plants listed in this web site and any published content.”