At Pearson, Alexa Christon has been promoted to chief marketing officer, reporting to chief corporate affairs officer, Deirdre Latour. Robb Forman Dew, 73, author of fiction, memoirs, essays, criticism, and cookbooks, died on May 22. Her 1981 novel, Dale Loves Sophie to Death, won the National Book Award (then known as the American Book Award) for a first novel. A memorial will be held at a time and place to be determined once quarantine restrictions have been lifted. Awards Amazon Literary Partnership announced its 2020 grant recipients, including Deep Vellum Publishing, City of Asylum Pittsburgh, The Center for Africa and LitNet. Past recipients […]
Archives for May 2020
Buzz Books Fall/Winter Preview: Nonfiction Part 1
Our season preview from our Buzz Books 2020 Fall/Winter sampler continues with nonfiction. Because of the number of titles, we have divided the preview in half, today featuring fall and winter books about politics and current events, social issues, and science and technology. The coming season includes titles from Al Sharpton, Claudia Rankine, Eula Biss, Laila Lalami, and more. Get the “trade edition” of Buzz Books 202 Fall/Winter from NetGalley or Edelweiss, or find the consumer editions all linked at our main Buzz Books website. Titles excerpted in Buzz Books are noted with an asterisk. (Please remember: Because we prepared this preview many months in advance, titles, […]
Summer Plans: PRH Will Work at Home at Least Through Labor Day, HBG to Reopen in Phases, and NYU Goes Online
In a May 26 letter to employees, PRH US ceo Madeline McIntosh officially announced that work from home will continue at least through the summer: “For those of us who ‘usually’ work in offices, we will continue to work in our remote status at least until after Labor Day.” The company is surveying employees about their WFH technology setup: “As successful as our remote work has been, I know that some of you are under particular stress related to tech and logistics. For the time being, we’ll need to be very judicious and disciplined when considering hardware solutions to these […]
Briefs
Forthcoming J.K. Rowling will publish a new standalone book for children, THE ICKABOG, in November 2020. Rowling writes on her website that she wrote it “in fits and starts between Potter books, intending to publish it after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” She will post free serialized chapters every weekday between May 26 and July 10 on The Ickabog website, and invites children to create illustrations, some of which will be selected for various editions of the book. Rowling promises to give all royalties “to help groups who’ve been particularly impacted by the pandemic.” Her list of people to thank […]
Billionaire Arnault Buys Stake In Arnaud Lagardere’s Holding Company
Lagardere has enlisted another billionaire to keep the company and its controlling owner solvent during the pandemic. Longtime family friend Bernard Arnault’s investment firm Groupe Arnault has agreed to buy 25 percent of Lagardère Capital & Management, the holding company of Arnaud Lagardere. Arnault is reportedly paying less than €100 million for the stake. LCM owns a 7.3 percent take in Lagardere, but has control of the company through its corporate structure. “The move shores up its finances after LCM’s debts exceeded the value” of those shares, Reuters report. LCM owes as much as €200 million to Crédit Agricole. Activist […]
Buzz Books Fall/Winter Preview: Commercial
We continue to present extracts from our big Buzz Books 2020 Fall/Winter overview, today highlighting commercial fiction. Did you download your copy yet? Get the “trade edition” from NetGalley or Edelweiss., or find the consumer editions all linked at our main Buzz Books website. Buzz Books Fall/Winter includes work from Ken Follett and Smith Henderson and Jon Marc Smith. Plus the season promises new work from a number of big names including Jodi Picoult, Carl Hiaasen, Nora Roberts, and more. Here is our full list of commercial fiction titles for the fall and winter season, alphabetically by author. Titles excerpted in Buzz Books are noted […]