UK retailer TG Jones’s restructuring plan was approved in court, allowing the company to avoid bankruptcy, at least for now. Under the plan, private equity owner Modella Capital will give the bookstore chain, which was formerly WH Smith, a £15 million loan, in addition to the £10 million loan they gave in April, the Independent reports. “We welcome the court’s approval of our restructuring plan,” TG Jones ceo Alex Willson said. “The plan protects the substantial core of the store estate and makes TG Jones a stronger, more sustainable business. We are incredibly grateful to all the colleagues, partners and […]
“The Serpent in the Grove” Wins Commonwealth Prize
Jamir Nazir’s “The Serpent in the Grove” has won the overall Commonwealth Short Story Prize. After it was named the winner of the Caribbean region of the prize and was published in Granta, the story was accused of being written using AI. AI detectors also flagged two other regional winners as AI-generated. After a review, the Commonwealth Prize concluded that AI was not used in Nazir’s story or any other regional winners. Still, Granta has broken off its partnership with the prize and will no longer publish winning stories.
Distribution: Paperblanks
Starting January 4, stationery brand Paperblanks will be sold and distributed by Hachette Book Group in the US and Caribbean. Paperblanks is owned by Hachette UK and was previously distributed by Chronicle in the US.
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Register of Copyrights Can Keep Job While Suit Continues, SCOTUS Says
On Tuesday, The Supreme Court denied the Trump Administration’s request to stay former Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter’s return to her job while her lawsuit challenging her firing is pending. In a brief unsigned order, the Court writes, “The application for stay is denied. The denial of the application is not a ruling on the merits of the legal issues presented in the litigation.” The Supreme Court previously held that Perlmutter could remain in her position pending final judgment on the legality of the president’s removal of staff at the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. […]
‘Regime Change’ Sells 300K Units in First Week
In its first week on sale, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump sold more than 300,000 units across all formats in the US, including preorders and “orders from consumers that are as yet unfulfilled due to incredible demand,” according to Simon & Schuster. (Update: On Wednesday afternoon, Circana Bookscan showed tracked hardcover sales in the first week of just under 78,000 copies.) After the latest reprint of 50,000 copies, the book will have 360,000 copies in print. “Regime Change has entered the national conversation in a way that few books ever do, […]