Posman Books will close its Grand Central Station location after “15 wonderful years” by the end of the year, Shelf Awareness reports. The store has to leave its 5,000-square foot space as part of the Terminal’s plan “to upgrade and improve pedestrian circulation” and as part of the larger One Vanderbilt Project, a proposed 65-story office building whose owner has offered to pay for $210 million in Grand Central pedestrian passageway and subway platform improvements. Posman’s Robert Fader explained to the publication: “We have been in discussions with Grand Central for several years, but they have been unable to find […]
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Pearson chief financial officer for the past eight years Robin Freestone has told the board “he would like to step down…before the end of 2015 to explore a range of other interests.” A search is underway for a replacement and Freestone will remain in the job until a successor is named. At Penguin Random House, Christopher Dufault has been promoted to the newly created position of vp, director, Penguin hardcover sales development. At Macmillan Children’s, Molly Brouillette has been promoted to associate director, publicity while Mary Van Akin moves up to senior publicist. At HarperCollins Children’s, Christopher Hernandez and Stephanie Stein […]
Kirkus Prize Winners, and More Awards
The winners of the inaugural Kirkus Prize were announced Thursday evening at a private ceremony in Austin, TX. EUPHORIA by Lily King won the fiction prize (we featured it as a spring/summer Publishers Lunch Buzz Book). The nonfiction winner is CAN WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE PLEASANT? by Roz Chast, already shortlisted for the National Book Award in nonfiction. Finally, the Young Readers’ Prize was awarded to AVIARY WONDERS INC. by Kate Samworth. Each of the winners will receive $50,000. In other awards, the Heartland Prizes honored THE MAID’S VERSION by Daniel Woodrell for fiction, and MEN WE REAPED by Jesmyn […]
Oral Arguments For Apple’s Appeal Set For December 15
After a period of quiet, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals has set a December 15 date for oral arguments on Apple’s appeal of Judge Denise Cote’s 2013 ruling in the federal ebook antitrust trial. The settlement reached earlier this year between Apple and the plaintiff states and consumers hinges on how the appeals court eventually rules. Apple could pay as much as $450 million if their appeal is denied, or as little as nothing if the appeal is completely reversed. Judge Cote granted preliminary approval to the settlement on August 1 and scheduled a final fairness hearing for November 21.
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Media and entertainment industry executive Lauren Zalaznick has been appointed as the first independent board member of Penguin Random House. Zalaznick currently publishes The LZ Sunday Paper, a newsletter about women in business, media, and culture, and previously held a variety of leadership positions during a 12-year career at NBCUniversal, including president of Bravo Media; president of NBCUniversal Women & Lifestyle Entertainment Networks (including Oxygen and Telemundo); and evp, chairman of entertainment, digital networks and integrated media. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is creating HMH Labs, an incubation effort “designed to fuel innovation and growth in education through the ideation, experimentation and rapid […]
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Tara Singh Carlson will formally move over to Putnam as senior editor. She will acquire hardcover titles for the Putnam list, while continuing to acquire trade paperback originals for Penguin, which will “predominantly” issue the paperbacks of her Putnam hardcovers as well. Joan Didion is the subject of a documentary film in progress, “We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live,” co-directed by her nephew Griffin Dunne and Susanne Rostock. After shooting more than 60 hours of footage — largely with Didion — Dunne and Rostock’s company Rava Films has launched a Kickstarter campaign seeking a minimum of $80,000 in funding […]