The Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act was re-introduced in the House of Representatives on Wednesday by sponsor Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and a bipartisan group of representatives. “We hope that the House and Senate Judiciary Committees will swiftly take up this important legislation,” the Association of American Publishers said in a release expressing support. This represents a second chance in the new Congress for a bill that was first introduced in October 2017 and never made it out of the Judiciary committee after hearings last September. The bill aims to make it easier for independent creators to fight copyright infringement […]
Archives for May 2019
Awards: Indies Choice to Miller, Westover, and More
The American Booksellers Association announced the winners of the Indies Choice Book Awards and the E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards. The Indies Choice Winners: Fiction Circe, by Madeline Miller (Lee Boudreaux Books) Nonfiction Educated, by Tara Westover (Random House) Debut There There, by Tommy Orange (Knopf) Audiobook Circe, by Madeline Miller, read by Perdita Weeks (Hachette Audio) Young Adult The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo (HarperTeen) And the winners of the E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards: Middle Reader Ghost Boys, by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) Picture Book We Don’t Eat Our Classmates, by Ryan T. Higgins (Disney-Hyperion) In the UK, Will […]
People, Etc.
Bridget Smith is joining Jabberwocky Literary Agency as an agent, representing middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction. She was formerly at Dunham Literary. At Chronicle Books, Chelsea Masquelier has become operations coordinator. As expected, the ABA membership officially elected four new directors and a new president and vice president, per the nominations announced in February. The transition, in which vice president Jamie Fiocco of Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC will become president and Bradley Graham of Politics & Prose in Washington, DC will become vice president/secretary, occurs at Book Expo. Current president Robert Sindelar and board member Annie Philbrick […]
More May Picks: Apple Books, Reese’s Book Club, and More
Apple Books announced its May picks, which include Sara Collins’ The Confessions of Frannie Langton, excerpted and available for download now in our Buzz Books 2019 Spring/Summer sampler. The rest of the list: Exhalation, by Ted Chiang Furious Hours, by Casey Cep The Paris Diversion, by Chris Pavone Middlegame, Seanan McGuire With the Fire on High, Elizabeth Acevedo The Pioneers, by David McCullough Once More We Saw Stars, by Jayson Greene Eat Like a Fish, by Bren Smith Cari Mora, by Thomas Harris Riots I Have Known, by Ryan Chapman Queen Bee, by Dorothea Benton Frank Elsewhere, Reese Witherspoon chose […]
Baker & Taylor to Abandon Bookstore Distribution
Baker & Taylor’s parent company Follett announced a “strategic shift” in which B&T will exit the business of wholesaling books to retailers. “Exiting wholesale book distribution will allow us to align our resources, technology and people to do what we do best – helping public libraries support the communities they serve.” B&T president Dave Cully says in the release. “We will be working closely with our existing customers and partners to ensure a smooth transition during this change.” Ultimately, however, unsold stock “will be returned to our publishers.” They told accounts in an email they expect to “complete our exit […]
The Big Printers Both Lost Money
The nation’s two biggest printers, Quad and LSC, both reported mediocre first quarter results, as the companies continue to hope to merge by mid-2019. Their reports underscore that demand from trade book publishers has little effect on prospects for these large, diversified players. At LSC, overall sales fell $84 million, or 9.1 percent, to $845 million, with a big net loss of $126 million (due mostly to after-tax charges for a pension settlement charge). Book sales of $260 million were 4.3 percent higher than a year ago (up 2.7 percent on an “organic” basis), which was “driven by increased education […]