Follett School Solutions, the K-12 division sold by parent Follett Corporation to Francisco Partners at the beginning of September, announced that it will close its school book fair business: “Due to the pandemic, Follett School Solutions has made the difficult decision to exit the Follett Book Fair business, effective November 15, 2021,” the company said in a brief statement. They added, “On this date, we will also pause our eFair business and will reevaluate this offering in the future.” CEO Britten Follett indicated to SLJ they have been getting as many as 50 cancellations a week and “there was no real […]
Archives for September 2021
Gendell Says Continuing Errors Are the Obstacle to Foundry Author Payments
Former Foundry partner Yfat Reiss Gendell answered former partner Peter McGuigan’s request that the court order her to approve outstanding payments due to authors with an extensive account of what she says have been “erroneous payments.” Going further, Gendell calls the motion “a continuation of the smear campaign that gave rise to” her countersuit for defamation, “falsely portraying Ms. Gendell as the cause of delays of payments owed to Foundry’s authors and agents.” She asks the court to sanction McGuigan “for making the frivolous motion.” McGuigan’s recent filing cited almost $80,000 in payments said to be due and awaiting approval. […]
2021 Dayton Literary Peace Prize
The Dayton Literary Peace Prize announced winners on Wednesday.
People 9/22
Editor, journalist, and author Elizabeth "Biz" Mitchell has joined Harper One as executive editor. Daniella Wexler has joined as senior editor, acquiring for Harper One, Harper Via, and Amistad. She was previously at Atria.
Acquisitions: Netflix Buys Roald Dahl Story Company
Netflix has a deal to acquire outright the literary works of Roald Dahl and the company that manages and exploits them, the Roald Dahl Story Company. After licensing adaptations of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda The Musical, Netflix said, “These projects opened our eyes to a much more ambitious venture – the creation of a unique universe across animated and live action films and TV, publishing, games, immersive experiences, live theatre, consumer products and more.” Based in the UK, the Roald Dahl Story Company has 26 full-time employees, led by managing director Luke Kelly. Separately, ILP said at […]
Reese’s Book Club Partners with Google Assistant
The newest deal for Reese’s Book Club and Hello Sunshine will direct fans to purchase recommended titles from the Google Play store. They are pairing with Google Assistant and its universe of smart devices; the verbal instruction, “Hey Google, read with Reese’s Book Club” will be answered with commentary and reviews from Reese Witherspoon and personalized reading recommendations and other features. In its early days Reese’s Book Club struck a very successful exclusive relationship with Audible. As we reported exclusively in February when the club launched its new app and dedicated website, the Audible partnership was ended. Hello Sunshine ceo […]