Archives for June 2025
WH Smith High Street Business Sells at Reduced Price After Soft Sales
WH Smith has completed the sale of their High Street bookstore business to Modella Capital. The sale terms were revised after the bookstore retail division posted lower sales, with WH Smith set to receive cash proceeds of up to £40 million rather than £52 million. “Following the agreement and announcement of the sale, the future of the High Street business under a change of ownership has led to a more cautious outlook amongst stakeholders,” a press release notes. “This, combined with a period of softer trading, has resulted in a reduction in the ongoing cash flow of the business. Consequently, […]
Supreme Court Rules That Parents Can Opt Out of Classes Using LGBTQ+ Books
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Maryland parents who want to remove their children, on religious grounds, from public school lessons in which “LGBTQ+-inclusive” books are used. As expected, the Court provided a preliminary injunction in favor of the parents in Mahmoud v. Taylor in a 6-3 decision, with the Court’s three liberal justices dissenting. The school district originally allowed parents to opt their children out of lessons in which LGBTQ+ books were used. Eventually, the opt outs became disruptive and the county reversed the policy. In the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito writes, “The [school] Board’s introduction of […]
Forthcoming: Books From Matthew McConaughey, Malala Yousafzai
Crown will publish POEMS & PRAYERS by Matthew McConaughey, a “faith-filled collection of personal poetry and prayers about navigating the rodeo of life,” on September 16. His previous book, GREENLIGHTS, sold six million units worldwide. McConaughey will narrate the audiobook. Elsewhere, Atria will publish FINDING MY WAY by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, a memoir tracing “her path from high school loner to reckless college student to a young woman at peace with her past,” on October 21. Macmillan’s Fablelistik brand of special edition books will release “exclusive, artisan-crafted editions” of Rebecca Yarros‘ Fourth Wing in partnership with Yarro’s […]
People 6/27
The Edit: Looking To Fall (Already)
Welcome back to our monthly column about buzzy galleys. This month, maybe with cooler temperatures in mind, publishing has been reading for fall. We talked to scouts who made suggestions as far out as November across fiction, nonfiction, thriller, memoir, and more. Kelly Farber at KF Literary Scouting recommended three titles, including Marisa Kashino’s debut thriller Best Offer Wins (Celadon, 11/25), which she calls a “voice-driven black comedy turned murder romp about a crazed type A millennial who will stop at nothing to land a house.” Farber is also excited about Nicholas Boggs’ new James Baldwin biography, Baldwin: A Love […]