World Book Night US will suspend operations after three years. The organization said in a statement that the expenses of running the effort “are too high to sustain without additional outside funding,” especially considering the “significant financial and time commitment from publishers, writers, booksellers, librarians, printers, distributors, and shippers.” WBN staff will stay on board, without pay, through September 1 to announce the winners of the giver essay contest. World Book Night US executive director Carl Lennertz called the three-year effort a “success by all measures, except for one: Outside funding. For three years, the publishing industry and book community […]
Bookselling: Schuler Books Buys Nicola’s; New Owners for Orinda Books
Schuler Books, which owns and operates three stores in Michigan, will acquire Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor, which has been for sale since the beginning of the year. Shelf Awareness reports that under the agreement, the store, which Nicola Rooney acquired in 1995 after four years operating as a Little Professor franchise, “will continue to operate as Nicola’s Books and Rooney will stay on as a consultant during the transition.” Of the sale, Rooney commented: “Joining the family of Schuler bookstores ensures that the future of Nicola’s Books will be in good hands. The familiar faces of our booksellers will […]
People, Etc.
Longtime vp, director of publicity at Penguin Maureen Donnelly, 59, died Monday at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ of breast cancer. Before joining Penguin, Donnelly worked at Simon & Schuster and New American Library in a publishing career that spanned 40 years. A wake will be held in Roselle, NJ on Wednesday, with a funeral to follow the following day. Condolences can be offered here. Penguin Random House announced a number of appointments in the recently-united special markets department. Pam Roman is vp, director, specialty retail & wholesale sales and business development; Tammy Cabot is director, national accounts, specialty sales; Mary Margaret Callahan is director, in-house […]
Freeman Partners With Grove Atlantic on Literary Anthology Series
Former Granta editor and NBCC president John Freeman is partnering with Grove Atlantic on a new literary anthology series, Freeman’s, to be published twice a year in collaboration with the New School. Freeman’s will be an ongoing series of themed anthologies of all original works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. “Over the last two decades, as a critic, author and editor John has proven himself to be one of the most dynamic figures on the American literary scene, and we are very excited to be working with him,” said Grove Atlantic ceo and publisher Morgan Entrekin in the announcement. Freeman […]
People, Awards, Etc.
Barbara Kline Pope has been appointed director of the Association of American University Presses, succeeding Philip Cercone. Pope is director of the National Academies Press and will serve a one-year term as AAUP director. Costco’s July Pennie’s Pick is THE GIVER by Lois Lowry. Donna Tartt’s THE GOLDFINCH and Doris Kearns Goodwin’s THE BULLY PULPIT won the Carnegie Medals for fiction and nonfiction, respectively. Start Publishing is in the process of acquiring Whiskey Creek Press, as covered in two posts at Writer Beware. Poet and novelist Dermot Healy, 66, died over the weekend in County Sligo, Ireland. He was the author […]
Tyndale Shelves Pastor Mark Driscoll’s Next Book
Tyndale House has severely curtailed its ties with megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll, who had been under fire for using Result Source to boost his NYT bestseller list ranking, and was the subject of accusations of plagiarism and improper attributions as well. The Daily Beast reports the publishing house has put Driscoll’s next scheduled book, THE PROBLEM WITH CHRISTIANITY, on hold and will not reprint the Mars Hill Church leader’s 2013 title A CALL FOR RESURGENCE. Tyndale senior public relations manager Todd Starowitz said THE PROBLEM WITH CHRISTIANITY, originally slated for publication in September, “does not have a planned release date” […]