Archives for September 2025
People 9/29
Dayton Literary Peace Prize
ReaderLink Deal to Acquire Baker & Taylor Is Terminated
Readerlink’s deal to acquire “the business and substantially all the assets” of Baker & Taylor — due to close by Friday, September 26 — has been terminated instead. Readerlink indicated there is no formal statement about the termination. Baker & Taylor’s open invoices with publishers were to remain with the current owners, and publishers were expressing concern about getting paid. Earlier this year, several librarians reported shipping delays from B&T and books being backordered at the wholesaler, which the company attributed to post-pandemic supply chain issues. On Reddit, a number of customers report switching their business to Ingram, Brodart and other […]
Obituary: Robert Barnett
Lawyer Robert Barnett, 79, died on September 26 in Washington, D.C. Barnett represented many politicians and other high-profile authors for book deals, including James Patterson, Khaled Hosseini, Mary Higgins Clark, Phil Knight, Michelle and Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barbra Streisand, Bob Woodward, and George W. Bush. “Bob was the consummate counselor to presidents, ceos, royalty, and celebrities, and a legend at our firm, but anyone who knew him also recognized him as a kind, gracious man who was an amazing partner and friend,” Williams & Connolly chair Joe Petrosinelli said. “We will miss him greatly.” “Bob also […]
The Edit: Fall Kids Books and More
Welcome back to our monthly column about buzzy galleys. Awards season is taking shape, with no clear consensus favorite. The Booker named its shortlist, and the National Book Awards its longlists. The Kirkus Prize will be awarded on October 8. Book critic and founder of Alderbrink, a new magazine devoted to fine press books, Adam Morgan recommended Anna North’s Bog Queen (Bloomsbury, 10/14), which he called “really tense and atmospheric with a strong sense of place.” He writes, “It feels like a season of True Detective where the investigator is a forensic anthropologist, the mystery is 2,000 years old, and everyone […]