Former Random House and Workman sales exec Michael Rockliff, 76, died on July 29. He began his career at Random House in 1968 and remained there for 38 years. He then worked as director of library sales and marketing at Workman before retiring in 2015. PRH notes, “At sales conferences, Rockliff could be counted on to discuss, with equal passion to the pitches for imminent bestsellers, a book on displaced European Jews or a biography of an obscure but pathfinding musician. Over time, his colleagues began referring to these volumes—many of which went on to win prizes—as ‘Mike Books.’ One […]
People 8/3
At Running Press, Shannon Kelly is joining as editor. She was previously associate editor at Abrams.
August Book Club Picks
The August Read with Jenna selection is The Turnout by Megan Abbott.
New Books Publishing August 3
Stephen King, Anthony Veasna So, Megan Abbott, and Juan Gabriel Vasquez lead this week’s fiction releases, while nonfiction includes Emily Oster, James Lapine, and Robert Meyer and Dan Koeppel. Also new this week are titles from Mari K. Eder and Julie Murphy, both excerpted and available for download in our Buzz Books 2021: Spring/Summer sampler, and Ash Davidson, excerpted in the Buzz Books 2021: Fall/Winter sampler. 39 new works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-august-3 https://shop.aer.io/publishers_lunch/cl/New_Fiction_Publishing_August_/219653 14 new nonfiction titles https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-august-3 https://shop.aer.io/publishers_lunch/cl/New_Nonfiction_Publishing_August_/219654 We consult a number of sources in compiling our weekly lists and PM members can see our lists for the coming three […]
Hello Sunshine Announces Big Sale
Reese Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine will be purchased by a new firm financed by private-equity company Blackstone. The terms of the deal weren’t announced, but a source told the WSJ the deal values Hello Sunshine at $900 million, with Blackstone spending over $500 million to buy out Hello Sunshine’s outside investors, including AT&T and Emerson Collective. Witherspoon and some the company’s executives and investors “will roll over the remaining equity into ownership stakes in the new company Blackstone is forming.” Former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs will run the new entertainment company that is purchasing Hello Sunshine, […]
Hay Festival Founder Resigns After Investigation
Hay literary festival founder and director Peter Florence has resigned after the board upheld an independent investigation over an internal allegation of bullying. Florence was suspended in October, and the board will now be looking for a new director. In a statement, Florence criticized the process, saying: “I consider that my role had become untenable due to the conduct of the board and its insistence on holding a disciplinary hearing in my absence whilst I was off sick following a breakdown.” The organization said, “This decision followed a thorough and extensive process, which considered substantial supporting evidence. As the board […]