On Friday afternoon Crown reported that former First Lady Michelle Obama’s BECOMING sold more than 725,000 units in all formats and editions in the US and Canada (including pre-orders) on the first day of its publication, November 13. On top of the initial first printing of 1.8 million hardcovers for North America, the company says it has gone back to press for another 800,000 hardcover. (There goes your print capacity.) Barnes & Noble followed with a release Monday morning noting that Becoming recorded “the biggest first-week sales of any book this year” — and the best opening week for any adult book […]
Archives for November 2018
Vivendi Formalizes Deal to Buy Editis In France
Three months after announcing “exclusive negotiations with Grupo Planeta,” last week in reporting third quarter earnings Vivendi said it had signed a share purchase agreement for French publishing group Editis. The deal requires approval from the French Competition Authority, though Vivendi says preliminary “favorable opinions” were issued on November 8, and September 13. They hope the deal will close “in late 2018 or early 2019.” Beyond that, there are no new details about the terms. They reiterate their previous statement from the summer that Editis’s enterprise value is €900 million.
Pulitzer Board Says Investigation of Diaz “Did Not Find Evidence Warranting Removal”
The Pulitzer Prize Board announced on Friday the completion of “an exhaustive review” of allegations against board chair Junot Diaz. That investigation, conducted by law firm Williams & Connolly, “did not find evidence warranting removal of Professor Díaz from the board.” As a result, “Díaz will be welcomed to resume his full duties as a board member and to fulfill his term, which expires in April of 2019.” They note that Williams & Connolly’s process “involved interviews with dozens of witnesses and analysis of hundreds of pages of documents (as well as audiotapes, where available), and examined the steps taken by […]
Obama’s Becoming Sells Over 725,000 Units On First Day
Crown reported Friday afternoon that former First Lady Michelle Obama’s BECOMING sold more than 725,000 units in all formats and editions in the US and Canada (including pre-orders) on the first day of its publication, November 13. As previously reported, they initially printed 1.8 million hardcovers for North America, and now the company says it has gone back to press for another 800,000 hardcover.
People, Etc.
Heather Connor has joined Harlequin in the newly created role of vp, publicity, overseeing Park Row Books, Hanover Square Press, Graydon House, MIRA, HQN, and Inkyard Press. She was previously director of publicity at Berkley. Amanda Lang has been promoted to to senior publicity manager at Simon & Schuster. Co-founder of New World Library and author of Creative Visualization Shakti Gawain, 70, died November 11 from complications related to hip surgery. (She suffered from both Parkinson’s and Lewy body disease.) New World Library publisher and co-founder (the company was first called Whatever Publishing) Marc Allen says, “She was such an extraordinary […]
Time Magazine’s Best Books of the Year
Time Magazine named its top ten books of the year in fiction and nonfiction, with Rachel Kushner’s The Mars Room as its number one fiction pick, and John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood topping their nonfiction selections. (Also on the fiction list is Ottessa’s Moshfegh’s latest novel, excerpted and available in our Buzz Books 2018 Spring/Summer sampler.) Fiction Asymmetry, by Lisa Halliday An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones My Year of Rest and Relaxation, by Ottessa Moshfegh Circe, by Madeline Miller Washington Black, by Esi Edugyan There There, by Tommy Orange Gun Love, by Jennifer Clement Florida, by Lauren Groff The Overstory, […]