The newest episode of Open Road’s Open Book podcast features Hachette US and UK ceo David Shelley, who discusses his beginnings in publishing and rapid rise as an editorial assistant at Allison & Busby and his goals for Hachette. His mission for Hachette in both countries is based on four pillars: understanding consumers, ownership mentality, growth mindset, and changing the story (the company’s DEI initiatives). The pillars, he said, “infuse everything” and come up in employees’ meetings and performance reviews. “I’m very passionate about the idea that within our organization, within Hachette, what good looks like, you have to really […]
Archives for December 2024
Center For Fiction First Novel Prize
Harper UK and 4th Estate Launch Monument Books
In the UK, HarperCollins and 4th Estate have partnered with author Reni Eddo-Lodge to launch a new imprint called Monument Books in February 2025. Eddo-Lodge, who is the author of Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, will serve as editor-at-large alongside publishing director Kishani Widyaratna and the 4th Estate team. The imprint will put out three titles a year across nonfiction and select fiction and classics. “We seek to champion distinctive writers from across the world and to help them spark ideas, make change and shape the cultural conversation,” write the publishers in the mission statement. “Our books […]
People 12/12
Obituary: MJ Rose
Our community lost another generous and innovative stalwart, as bestselling author, independent publisher, book marketer and tireless author advocate and friend M. J. Rose (Melisse Shapiro) died suddenly and unexpectedly on Wednesday. Rose wrote 21 books, including The Reincarnationist, which was adapted into a TV show. She was also a co-founder of International Thriller Writers; founded and ran book marketing service AuthorBuzz.com; and was a co-founder with Liz Berry (later joined by business partner Jillian Stein) of 1001 Dark Nights and its imprint Blue Box Press. Shapiro helped countless authors promote their books, develop their careers, and navigate the mysteries […]
Friendly Skies
We stopped posting at the Bad Place a long time ago, when it became clear that the algorithm demanded payment — either in cash or provocative “engagement” — to actually reach any of your “followers.” So it has been a pleasure to watch a real community emerge again over at BlueSky, where we have started to share publishing news again. And we have loved seeing so many authors using the platform to share their deal report screenshots. Join us if you like: @publisherslunch.bsky.social