NPR Books editor Petra Mayer, 46, died suddenly on Saturday at Holy Cross Hospital in Maryland, of what is believed to have been a pulmonary embolism. Described by colleagues as “a proud nerd,” Mayer shared with listeners her love of science fiction, comics and cats. Nancy Barnes, NPR’s senior vice president for news, wrote in an email to staff, “Petra was NPR through and through. To say that Petra will be missed simply seems inadequate.” Novelist Wilbur Smith, 88, died on November 13 in his home in Cape Town, South Africa. The Zambia-born author of 49 novels, his books have […]
Archives for November 2021
People 11/12
Lambda Literary executive director Sue Landers will step down on December 1. Maxwell Scales and Cleopatra Acquaye-Reynolds will join as co-interim executive directors, while the organization searches for a successor.
Best Of: NYT/NYPL Illustrated Books; Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year
The New York Times and New York Public Library announced their best illustrated children’s books of 2021: I Am the Subway, written and illustrated by Kim Hyo-eun, translated from Korean by Deborah Smith The Night Walk, written and illustrated by Marie Dorléans Time Is a Flower, written and illustrated by Julie Morstad It Fell From the Sky, written and illustrated by Terry Fan and Eric Fan The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess, written and illustrated by Tom Gauld ¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge, written and illustrated by Raúl the Third, colors by Elaine Bay While You’re Sleeping, written […]
Spotify to Acquire Findaway and Storytel Will Buy Audiobooks.com
Two big acquisitions will fuel hopes for players of scale to challenge Audible’s dominance in core markets. Spotify will acquire distributor Findaway as part of their goal to develop a meaningful presence in the audiobooks market, pending regulatory approval. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021; the terms were not announced. Findaway bills itself as the “world’s largest audiobook distributor,” and is a key player in distributing digital audiobooks to Apple, Google, Overdrive and others. The company also provides tools for independent authors to produce and distribute audiobooks and sells audiobook players to brands. “The […]
People 11/11
At BookEnds Literary, Ramona Pina has joined as associate agent. James McGowan has been promoted to literary agent.
Bookselling: Shakespeare & Co. to Open in Norwalk, CT; Yu and Me Books Planned for NYC’s Chinatown
Shakespeare & Co. will open location in the new SoNo Collection mall in Norwalk, CT. This is the first suburban location for the chain, which also has locations in Manhattan and Philadelphia. CEO Dane Miller told The Hour, “It is a beautiful new mall. Malls got pretty hurt by the pandemic but it appears that, hopefully, we are coming out the other end.” Manhattan’s first Asian-American female-owned bookstore-cafe-bar, Yu and Me Books, is set to open in December, Bowery Boogie reports. Owner Lucy Yu crowdsourced the bookstore via GoFundMe earlier this year. “My hope is to create a home that […]