Emma Donoghue and Michael Winter are among the nominees for Canada’s Trillium Book Awards, whose winners will be announced on June 17.
National Post
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor reported receiving an advance of $1.175 million from Knopf for her forthcoming memoir last year, according to financial disclosure forms. Newspapers report the sum as if it is the entire advance, but our readers will know it likely represents only a third or a fourth of the total advance to be paid over time.
A $1 million advance is what the NY Post is reporting Jennifer Hudson and agent Mel Berger want from publishers for her diet book proposal, but so far they have resisted, wanting a memoir about the 2008 murders of her mother, older brother and nephew. One “insider” explained to the paper: “It was disappointing. Her book about her diet is really appealing and wonderful. But if you spend a lot of money on the book deal, you want it to sell. With no talk of her family, we didn’t think it was worth it.”
Bloomsbury Press publisher Peter Ginna, at his Doctor Syntax blog, takes an amusing look at the cast of characters who populated Book Expo this year. Among our favorites is black plastic glasses-wearing “The Schnittman” who “is easy to find, for he will appear on half a dozen panels on The Future of Something, lobbing provocative remarks that will light up Twitter like a pinball machine.”
Dr. Syntax blog
Right before the convention, Publishing Trends and Market Partners International launched PublishingTrendsetter.com, a blog “where young book professionals can gather guidance and share knowledge and ideas” as well as “a place for industry veterans to engage with the most creative and gifted up-and-comers.” They aim to “bring Publishing Trends’ expert analysis to a new generation of book professionals” and provide “an interactive medium for hearing ideas and insight” who have been in the business for less than 10 years. They have enlisted over 10 regular contributors.