Atria is “not proceeding with the publication” of Robert Griffin III’s memoir about playing for Washington, DC’s football team, a spokesperson confirmed to PL. Slated to publish on Aug 16, Surviving Washington was described as “detailing the shocking mismanagement and toxic culture within the most dysfunctional professional football team in America.” DC sports radio station WJFK-FM reports that tweets about the book from Griffin and coauthor Gary Myers have been deleted. The book page has disappeared from the S&S website and BN.com. A source told the radio station that Griffin had “second thoughts” about the book.
People 3/3
Rose Pleuler has been promoted to editor at HarperAlley.
Amazon to Close Physical Bookstores
Amazon announced they would close all of their physical bookstores, as well as pop-up shops and home goods stores, in the US and UK. An Amazon spokesperson said: “We’ve decided to close our Amazon 4-star, Books, and Pop Up stores, and focus more on our Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, Amazon Go, and Amazon Style stores and our Just Walk Out technology. We remain committed to building great, long-term physical retail experiences and technologies, and we’re working closely with our affected employees to help them find new roles within Amazon.” Employees who do not stay with Amazon will be given […]
Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair Postponed
The China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair (CCBF) has been moved to July 22-24, due to Shanghai’s COVID regulations. The fair had been planned for March 20-22, overlapping with the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. In 2023, the CCBF is planning to return to its schedule of hosting the fair in the fall.
Libel Case Against Kleptocracy Book Dismissed
A libel claim against a UK journalist has been dismissed, the BBC reports. Tom Burgis’s 2020 book Kleptopia “follows the dirty money that is flooding the global economy, emboldening dictators, and poisoning democracies.” Kazakhstan-based mining company Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) claimed Burgis defamed the company “because the real meaning of part of his book was that the company had three men murdered to protect its business interests,” according to the BBC. Judge Justice Nicklin read the book before the proceedings and determined that the case would not to go trial because “every reader would know that only individuals can […]
PEN America Literary Awards
PEN America presented the winners of their literary awards at an event in New York last night.