Tobi Haslett will receive the n+1 Writers’ Fellowship, and Caleb Crain will receive the Anthony Veasna So Fiction Prize (now in its second year).
Archives for July 2022
People 7/27
At HMH, Benita Flucker has been named to the new position of chief equity and inclusion officer, focusing on "internal and public-facing DEI efforts."
Book Soup Unionizes
After announcing their intention to unionize last May, the employees of Los Angeles bookstore Book Soup have successfully formed a union and been recognized voluntarily by management. The store is owned by Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena. The Los Angles Times reports that the union is currently bargaining for “wage increases and additional staffing” as well as “disability access, fairer distribution of labor, greater transparency from leadership” and “democratic decision making in the workplace.” The starting hourly wage for booksellers, the LAT writes, is $16.50. A minimum wage provision in West Hollywood that just went into effect will incrementally boost pay […]
Obituary: Stuart Woods
Stuart Woods, 84, died at home in Connecticut on July 22. He was the author of more than 90 novels, beginning with Chiefs in 1981, and served on the boards of the Authors Guild Foundation since 2004. Putnam published his memoir, An Extravagant Life, in June, and will publish the next two books in the Stone Barrington series in August and October.
Bookselling: Books Are Magic to Open Second Location
Five years after launching their first store, Books Are Magic owners Emma Straub and Michael Fusco-Straub will open a second location in Brooklyn, Time Out New York reports. The second store will be at 122 Montague St. in Brooklyn Heights and is expected to open in late October.
Lagardere Publishing Maintains Guidance, Expects Revenue to Be Stable in 2022
Lagardere announced first-half and second quarter results, with publishing segment sales of €1.216 billion for the first six months, up €86 million or 7.7 percent from last year. Recurring EBIT was €81 million in the first half, down from €110 million in 2021—a record-breaking result—due to the rising costs of labor, transportation, and production. Sales in the second quarter were €662 million, an increase of 6.8 percent. In the US, like-for-like sales were down 1.9 percent compared to last year’s particularly strong first half, due to a “lighter release schedule” in 2022. But, as Hachette Book Group ceo Michael Pietsch […]