Nine of the ten authors longlisted for the $75,000 PEN/Jean Stein Award have withdrawn their books from consideration, as part of a continued boycott of PEN America over the organization’s response to the war in Gaza. Camille Dungy’s SOIL is currently the book that remains. In a statement provided by her publisher, Dungy said, “Right now in America, book bans are increasing at an alarming rate. In states like the one where I live—Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Iowa—such bans are putting young people at risk, particularly Black, Brown, queer, and trans youths who can’t access books that represent and affirm who […]
Harper to Create AI Audioboooks of Some Foreign Language Titles
Harper Collins will create AI audiobooks of select foreign language backlist titles, working with text-to-speech software company ElevenLabs. “The agreement will lead to the production of audio versions of select deep backlist series books that would not otherwise have been created.” ElevenLabs’ interface can create an audiobook in about an hour that will, according to Harper, “reflect the emotion, intonation, and pacing of the written word in audio, delivering a high-quality experience that sounds human,” the Bookseller reports. A release from ElevenLabs states that “HarperCollins will continue to devote time and resources to voice actor-led productions which are intrinsic to […]
Ask An Expert: Stacey Barney, Associate Publisher, Nancy Paulsen Books for Young Readers
Stacey Barney is associate publisher at Nancy Paulsen Books for Young Readers. She has edited bestselling and award-winning titles such as Krystal Sutherland’s The Invocations and House of Hollow, Renée Ahdieh’s The Beautiful quartet, Ayana Gray’s Beasts of Prey, and Katherine Arden’s middle grade quartet Small Spaces, as well as Caldecott Honor–winning The Cat Man of Aleppo and Coretta Scott King Illustrator honoree Nina: A Story of Nina Simone written by Traci N. Todd and illustrated by Christian Robinson. Can you talk about what, for you, separates a middle grade from a YA novel? How are the voice, characters, themes, etc. […]
People 4/17
Ravi Mirchandani will become publisher of a new UK branch of Summit Books on September 2, reporting to managing director Suzanne Baboneau.
New Books Publishing April 16
This week’s fiction releases include novels by David Baldacci and Anthony Horowitz, while Salman Rushdie and Doris Kearns Goodwin publish memoirs. 21 works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-april-16 14 works of nonfiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-april-16 We consult a number of sources in compiling our weekly lists and PM members can see our lists for the coming months on Bookshop. Check out April‘s 104 fiction releases, 48 works of nonfiction, and 45 children’s titles; May‘s 105 fiction releases, 37 works of nonfiction, and 24 children’s titles; and June‘s 68 fiction releases, 28 works of nonfiction, and 51 children’s titles. But if you want […]