Kara Sargent will join Little, Brown Children’s as executive editorial director, Brand, Licensed, and Media Tie-in Publishing on January 5th. Previously she was editorial director at Simon & Schuster Children’s, overseeing Simon Spotlight. Group director of domestic rights at HarperCollins Bob Spizer will leave the company at the end of January after 31 years. After February 1, he can be reached at robertspizer@yahoo.com. Abrams announced that Jeff Kinney‘s ninth book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, has sold more than 2 million units in all formats around the world since going on sale on November 4. Downtown Books in Craig, CO has […]
A Well-Read Editor’s Favorite Books of 2014
As we’re well on our way to anointing the “Best of the Best Books of 2014” (Anthony Doerr and Emily St. John Mandel continue to pull away from the crowd), here is Publishers Lunch news editor Sarah Weinman’s addition to the seasonal recommendations. In her case, these ten favorite fiction and nonfiction books published during 2014 come from a reading pace of a little over one book a day. (With one overlapping exception, she will issue a separate crime fiction list elsewhere later this week.) Fiction Molly Antopol, THE UNAMERICANS (Norton) This debut short story collection is uncommonly worldly, wise, and heartfelt about […]
After Winning Judgment From Kyle Estate, Ventura Sues HarperCollins
Six months after winning a $1.8 million award from the Chris Kyle estate in his defamation lawsuit, former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura has filed suit against HarperCollins — publisher of AMERICAN SNIPER — in Minnesota Federal Court, seeking damages “in excess of $75,000” for defamation. As in the earlier suit against Kyle (and later, after his 2013 death, Kyle’s estate), Ventura takes issue with the “Scruff face” chapter in American Sniper, which documents an alleged fight between Kyle and Ventura and attributes anti-American remarks to Ventura which he denies ever making. “The publicity and controversy generated by the false and defamatory […]
People
Stephen Barbara will move to Inkwell Management on January 5 after six years at Foundry Literary + Media, and he will be followed by all 50 of his clients. He says in the announcement, “It’s an agency I’ve long admired, and I couldn’t miss the chance to work with such a world-class group of authors’ representatives.” New York Magazine book critic Kathryn Schulz is leaving to join the New Yorker, where she will “write book reviews, as well as web pieces and the occasional feature” according to Capital New York. Her first day is January 19. At National Geographic Books, Lisa Thomas has been promoted […]
All Sides Grilled During Oral Arguments for Apple’s Appeal
An extended oral arguments hearing Monday morning at the 2nd Circuit Court of appeals did not immediately make clear how the three-judge panel would rule on Apple’s appeal of 2013’s ebook antitrust trial, but it did show the court would not spare any side thorough questioning — often to entertaining effect. Ted Boutrous, arguing for Apple, spent much of his allotted 20 minutes comparing his client’s “extraordinary case on antitrust law” to that of Leegin, saying the precedent set by the Supreme Court in that case would be ignored if Judge Denise Cote’s 2013 ruling finding Apple guilty is allowed to stand. […]
Bookselling: New Locations for Anderson’s, Third Place Books, HugoBooks; Final Patterson Pledges to 81 Bookstores
Anderson’s Bookshop will open its third location in La Grange, IL in April, the Chicago Tribune reports, after signing a lease on December 5 for the former PNC Bank at La Grange Road and Calendar Avenue. “It’s the perfect place with a vibrant, established downtown area with lots of independent businesses and a wonderful business alliance that does all sorts of great events,” owner Becky Anderson told the paper, adding the new store will be similar to the other two retail locations, but stocked according to customers’ preferences. Third Place Books will also open its third location next year in […]