Literary agency Vigliano Associates filed suit in a New York court alleging breach of contract against authors Chip and Joanna Gaines, as well as their business enterprises and their current management, United Talent Agency. Vigliano seeks damages of at least $1 million, alleging that the Gaineses improperly avoided paying the agency its 7.5 percent share of some projects as a part of a multi-book deal. The dispute focuses on a five-book deal for $12.5 million made in 2017 with Harper Collins, and a subsequent revision to that agreement. Under the original deal, Vigiliano asserts that the agency was a third-party […]
Publishing’s “Expressive” Year
Hillel Italie at the AP looks at the turbulent year in and around book publishing, including comments from a number of executives. Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp remarks: “We are living in expressive times.” Penguin Random House US ceo Madeline McIntosh speaks to what Italie calls “the emerging influence of younger employees.” She says, “Some of us are sounding like the older generation during the rise of the hippies, where we’re like ‘Kids these days, what on Earth are they up to?’ Given the state of the world today, it’s completely logical that Gen Z is determined to change […]
Macmillan Reported Consumer Data Breach Following Summer’s Security Incident
Following Macmillan’s data network “security incident” in June, on Monday the company acknowledged in a filing with the Texas Attorney General’s office, in compliance with state law, that the breach of their systems “resulted in consumer names, addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and financial account information being compromised.” According to this account on JD Supra, “the breached information varies depending on the individual.” They report that, “Macmillan sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident. While the exact number of people who were impacted by […]
PRH Extends Pandemic “Open License” Initiative Through the School Year; Will Replace with New Initiative
Penguin Random House has extended their pandemic-driven “open license” for online story time and classroom read-aloud videos and live events through the current school year, until June 30, 2023. At the same time, they underscore, this “will be the publisher’s final extension of the program.” They note, “Fortunately, as an ever-increasing majority of libraries, schools, bookstores, and other institutions open for in-person events, this temporary program has met its original goal to help ease some of the effort for educators and librarians and will be concluded.” A new policy will be launched on July 1, “to better serve students, educators […]
Top of the List
When our friends at Ingram encouraged us to max out the capabilities of print-on-demand with the big keepsake, case-bound edition of our book memorializing THE TRIAL, we never imagined we would find ourselves as the No. 1 new release in antitrust law! (And that’s ahead of both Ian Walden’s Telecommunications Law and Regulation and Conor Quigley’s European State Aid Law and Policy.) We can guarantee you THE TRIAL is a better read, as well as a great gift for the publishing person in your life. Buy the 6.7 pound, 1,994-page printed edition here (for free prime delivery); or from BN, […]
Book Musk
Ben Mezrich‘s BREAKING TWITTER is in the works already for a planned fall 2023 release, edited by Karyn Marcus at Grand Central, the WSJ reports. Mezrich will look at “the culture clash between the right and the left, but also about what free speech means.” The publisher confirmed the release, and said it is part of their earlier multi-book deal with Mezrich that included THE ANTIOSOCIAL NETWORK and his novel THE MIDNIGHT RIDE. They say the book “will capture the incredibly public and darkly comic battle between one of the most intriguing, polarizing, and influential men of our time—Elon Musk—and […]