In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, Scribner and Simon & Schuster announced that they would stop publication of Alice Sebold’s memoir LUCKY after the rape conviction at its center was overturned: “Following the recent exoneration of Anthony Broadwater, and in consultation with the author, Scribner and Simon & Schuster will cease distribution of all formats of Alice Sebold’s 1999 memoir Lucky while Sebold and Scribner together consider how the work might be revised.” Sebold also released a statement on Medium: “40 years ago, as a traumatized 18-year-old rape victim, I chose to put my faith in the American legal system. […]
Returns to Campus Lift BNED Sales, But Not to Pre-Pandemic Levels
Barnes & Noble Education’s second quarter earnings improved over last year, but still aren’t back to pre-pandemic levels (which were themselves on a declining trend — $772 million in 2019 and $815 million in 2018). On Tuesday morning, BNED reported results for their fiscal second quarter ending October 30, with sales of $627 million, compared to $595.5 million in last year’s quarter. Net income was $22.5 million, compared to $7.5 million last year. Retail sales increased by $32.4 million, or 5.6%, as compared to the prior year period, while comparable store sales were up 13.2 percent. General merchandise comparable sales […]
Sebold Film Adaptation Dropped
The Netflix adaptation of Alice Sebold’s memoir LUCKY lost its funding “months ago” and was dropped, Variety reports. Last week, Anthony J. Broadwater was exonerated of all charges after he was wrongly convicted of the rape depicted in the book and film. Former executive producer Timothy Mucciante, whose production company Red Badge Films was bankrolling the production, pulled out of the project in June. He subsequently hired a private investigator to examine evidence and helped to get Broadwater’s conviction overturned.
New Books Publishing November 30
Jodi Picoult and James S. A. Corey lead this week’s fiction releases, while nonfiction includes works by Mel Brooks, Brené Brown and Raekwon. Also out today are books by Claire Keegan and Kirthana Ramisetti, excerpted in our Buzz Books 2021: Fall/Winter sampler, and Theresa Beharrie, available in our Books 2021: Romance anthology. 11 new works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-november-30 https://shop.aer.io/publishers_lunch/cl/New_Fiction_Publishing_November_/220595 10 new nonfiction titles https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-november-30 https://shop.aer.io/publishers_lunch/cl/New_Nonfiction_Publishing_November_/220596 We consult a number of sources in compiling our weekly lists and PM members can see our lists for the coming three months through this reference page. But if you want to make sure your key titles […]
Obituary: Charlie Conrad
Editor Charlie Conrad, 61, died on November 21 from complications of ALS. Throughout his career, he held positions at New American Library, Warner Books, Doubleday, Broadway, Crown, Penguin, and Berkley. He edited Frances Mayes and Jon Krakauer, as well as THE LAST DUEL, adapted into a 2021 film, and THE TERMINAL SPY, which is slated to become an HBO series. In a statement, PRH said, “Conrad was a beloved colleague by all. [He] was a voracious reader and consumer of magazines and newspapers (he preferred old-school print), a lover of music, good food and wine, and an avid NPR listener. […]
People 11/24
Random House Graphic publishing director Gina Gagliano will leave the imprint she founded on December 3.