Finalists were named Wednesday morning for the National Book Awards, with the winners to be named on November 14. The fiction nominees including two story collections (Brinkley and Groff), and three titles from Penguin Random House imprints versus two small press candidates. Among the more prominent omissions from the longlist as Tommy Orange’s debut There, There and Tayari Jones’s An American Marriage. Fiction Nominees Jamel Brinkley, A Lucky Man (Graywolf Press) Lauren Groff, Florida (Riverhead) Brandon Hobson, Where the Dead Sit Talking (Soho Press) Rebecca Makkai, The Great Believers (Viking) Sigrid Nunez, The Friend (Riverhead) Nonfiction Nominees Colin G. Calloway, […]
Archives for October 2018
Dealmaking Is Modest Heading into Frankfurt, As Nonfiction and Film/TV Gain
With the Frankfurt Book Fair now officially underway, it’s time for our regular look at dealmaking trends ahead of the show (in the five week period from the day after Labor Day to yesterday). This year’s deal activity has been in line with both recent trends — ahead of the London Book Fair in April major nonfiction deals were robust, with overall US deal volumes just below flat — and long-term patterns, which had pre-FBF deal totals peaking in 2013 and 2014, and declining slightly year-over-year since. As we have seen before, nonfiction volumes remained strong, as fiction deals continue […]
People, Etc.
At Macmillan, Jennifer Edwards was promoted to vp, children’s sales reporting to Jenn Gonzalez. At Putnam, Danielle Dieterich has been promoted to associate editor. Longtime CAA book-to-film agent Sally Willcox, has joined Paradigm, overseeing media rights, based in Beverly Hills. Mostly recently, Willcox worked at at Tobey Maguire’s Material overseeing acquisition and development. She was at CAA for 27 years before leaving in 2014. Harper UK is launching the nonfiction Mudlark imprint, promising “every book will showcase an interesting, original writer with a distinctive voice.” Jack Fogg leads the boutique line. Onetime Fourth Estate publisher Christopher Potter, who left in 2005, returns to […]
Last Call for Buzz Nominations
One last call: If you haven’t submitted your title nominations for the forthcoming Buzz Books 2019: Spring/Summer and Buzz Books 2019: Young Adult Spring/Summer samplers, you need to do so by this Friday, October 12. For more information, please contact Robin Dellabough, robin@publishersmarketplace.com. We’ll have a separate call/reminder for flagging your notable titles for our big seasonal previews, so stay tuned.
Wiley Buys Learning House for $200 Million
Wiley announced Tuesday it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire education services provider Learning House from Weld North Holdings for $200 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close on or around November 1. The Louisville, KY-based Learning House provides online program management (OPM) services for colleges and universities, along with professional development services for teachers; and learning solutions for corporate clients. 2018 sales for the unit are expected to be roughly $70 million, up 17 percent from last year. Wiley ceo Brian Napack says in the announcement, “Learning House is a dynamic growth company and we are thrilled […]
Bookselling: Indigo Opens in NJ, Shakespeare Opens in Philadelphia; McNally Jackson Searches for New Space
There are noteworthy new store openings to report. Canadian bookseller Indigo opened their first US store as planned, a 30,000-square-foot space at The Mall in Short Hills, NJ. It includes a Wellness Shop, a Paper Shop, Indigo Baby, Indigo Kids — and a piano. And in downtown Philadelphia, Shakespeare & Co. opened the first of three planned new stores, slightly behind the scheduled summer debut. The 2,800-square-foot space includes a cafe and an Espresso Book Machine. Separately, McNally Jackson‘s well-known 5,700-square-foot storefront on Prince Street in Soho has been put up for lease, following the store’s 14-year residence at the […]