April Powers joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators as its inaugural chief equity & inclusion officer on June 3. Most recently she ran her own global inclusion consulting and training firm, First Impression Rx, after serving in diversity roles at Nestlé USA and Amgen. Michael Roberts has been named interim executive director for The Center for Fiction, effective June 30, while a national search is conducted for a permanent executive director. Most recently executive director of the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, his background includes 11 years as executive director of PEN American Center. Peter Knox has […]
Archives for June 2020
New Books Publishing June 16
This week brings another strong showing in summer fiction. As in previous weeks, our sample Bookshop and Aerbook store carousels provide easy displays of books publishing today in need of attention and support, featuring: 16 new works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-june-16 https://aerbook.com/store/publishers_lunch/New_Fiction_Publishing_June_16/217154 11 new nonfiction titles https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-june-16 https://aerbook.com/store/publishers_lunch/New_Nonfiction_Publishing_June_16/217155 More new children’s/YA books https://bookshop.org/lists/new-children-s-titles-publishing-in-june https://aerbook.com/store/publishers_lunch/New_Childrens_Titles_Publishing_in_June/216958 We consult a number of sources in compiling our weekly lists and PM members can see our lists for the coming three months through this reference page. But if you want to make sure your key titles are on our radar, now you can use this form to submit brief details as […]
DOJ Sues Bolton for “Publishing A Book Containing Classified Information” Without Approval
Donald Trump’s bluster about former National Security Adviser John Bolton facing criminal liability notwithstanding, on Tuesday the Department of Justice filed a civil suit against Bolton on three counts of breach of contract and fiduciary duty. They say he is publishing his book with Simon & Schuster THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED on June 23 without having received the written clearance and approval from the government required under agreements he signed when serving in the administration. Notably, the government is not suing S&S, though one of the prayers for relief is to “bind” those “who are in active concert or […]
Briefs: Bookselling News, and More
Bookselling Barnes & Noble‘s Upper East Side location in NYC has closed permanently. B&N said to PL: “We can confirm that we are to close our bookstore at 86th St. and Lexington Ave. The store has served us well over the years but is now too large, and too expensive, for our needs. We have therefore made the difficult decision to close the store to focus energy and resources on improving our other bookstores in New York City.” The store closed in March due to COVID-19 and B&N is in “active pursuit of a new site” in the area. B&N […]
NBCC Updates: Muhammad, Loudis, and Labrise Also Resign
NBCC board members Jessica Loudis and Megan Labrise confirmed to PL that they too among the numerous resignations from the board that began last week stemming from the drafting of an anti-racism statement. On Monday afternoon, Ismail Muhammad also posted his resignation. So far, at least 13 members of what had been a 24-person board have stepped down. Muhammad writes in a thread, “I’m sad to announce my resignation from the board of @bookcritics. The message that went out to members this past weekend, which did not denounce Carlin Romano’s racist email, has made it clear to me that the […]
People, Etc.: Oprah to Pick “Deacon King Kong”
The next Oprah’s Book Club pick, to be formally announced tomorrow, is James McBride‘s Deacon King Kong. Books with the OBC sticker have been appearing in stores already, so the club started teasing the announcement on Instagram Sunday. Executive director of the Center for Fiction Noreen Tomassi, is retiring after 16 years. The board writes, “Under her leadership, the Center evolved from an under-utilized membership library to an acclaimed and nationally recognized literary organization, as she expanded its exceptional team to help serve increasingly diverse audiences with stellar programming and vigorous outreach, including KidsRead/KidsWrite.” An interim director will be announced […]