The antitrust trial’s afternoon session continued with three literary agents taking the stand for the defense—Elyse Cheney, Andrew Wylie, and Gail Ross. They discussed auctions and negotiations, how they retain their power, and the effect of the possible merger on their clients. Cheney echoed what many other witnesses have said when asked why Big 5 publishers acquire books for $250,000+ more often than non-Big 5 do. “I think the non-Big 5, you know, are just not going to play in that sandbox too many times. They don’t have the same scale.” But when they do acquire ATSB, smaller publishers have […]
Archives for August 2022
People 8/11
At Scholastic, Lia Ferrone has joined as senior publicist. She was previously at Harlequin.
A3 Thursday: Charles Duhigg’s Atypical Testimony, and More
Author of The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg served as a curious and somewhat baffling witness for the defense on Thursday. The upshot is, he is a very happy Random House author, and he has made so much money he really doesn’t care about his advances. Also, despite having an MBA and having written about economics, he does not appear to understand the nuts and bolts of business very well. Duhigg has had a rewarding and valued partnership with his editor, Andy Ward. On the process of writing The Power of Habit, Duhigg said, “It would not be unfair to […]
Distribution: PGW
Publishers Group West added 10 new publishers to its global distribution network: Aeon Books, Barbican Press, DeVorss & Co., Erewhon Books, Golden Notebook Press, The Hero’s Journal, Jawbone Press, Medicine Wheel Press, ScienceWiz and Shoemaker & Co..
Imprints: Zando Adds Sweet July
Zando has partnered with restauranteur and author Ayesha Curry to launch the imprint Sweet July Books, which “will feature warm, timely books focused on family, female empowerment, faith, and food” with a “commitment to uplifting underrepresented voices.” A release states, “In particular, Ayesha will spotlight writers seeking to revitalize the ‘self-help’ genre through the inclusive lens of womanhood and motherhood, as well as inspiring fiction for children and adults.” As with Zando’s other celebrity imprints, Curry “will be heavily involved in the publishing process, from a book’s selection and acquisition to its release and beyond, leveraging the existing Sweet July […]
Judge Pan Learns How “Informal” The Industry Is As Defense Calls Walsh, Bergstrom and Glusman
Halfway through the antitrust trial, yesterday the defense began calling witnesses. Walsh The defense’s expert, former literary agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, took the stand on Wednesday, explaining to the court how important love, dreams, and art are to the publishing industry, rather than just the financials, and the informal nature of most business deals—all of which seemed to surprise Judge Pan. Walsh explained that an agent is a “curator” for a publisher who finds the content, and has a fiduciary relationship with authors. They are “honor bound to act in the best interest of our clients.” In explaining exclusive submissions […]