When Richard Ben Cramer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of WHAT IT TAKES (1992), the influential 1988 presidential campaign chronicle, died January 7 from complications of lung cancer only days after being diagnosed with the illness, he had just been served by a lawsuit from his onetime publisher, Hachette Book Group’s Twelve imprint, for failing to deliver a manuscript on now-disgraced New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez. At the time of Cramer’s death, a spokesperson for Hachette told us “we were very surprised to hear of Mr. Cramer’s illness. We had been trying to contact him for well […]
People, Etc.
At Vintage/Anchor, Andrea Robinson has been promoted to editor, while Emily Giglierano and Jocelyn Miller move up to assistant editor. In addition, Mark Chiusano has joined Vintage/Anchor as assistant editor. Previously he was an editorial assistant at Knopf. Isaac Fitzgerald will join BuzzFeed in December as books editor. Co-owner of the literary website the Rumpus, Fitzgerald was most recently publicity director at McSweeney’s, and will move from San Francisco to New York. At Daniela Schlingmann Literary Scouting Ltd., Cecilia Campbell-Westlind has been promoted to scout. Rupert Holmes’ Broadway adaptation of John Grisham‘s A Time to Kill will close on Sunday, […]
Donna Tartt’s THE GOLDFINCH Tops Amazon’s Best Books of the Year
Amazon announces its Best Books of 2013 lists, featuring lists in 20 different categories. Donna Tartt’s THE GOLDFINCH tops their 20 overall Editor’s Picks, which also feature, in order: Khaled Hosseini, AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED David Finkel, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE Kate Atkinson, LIFE AFTER LIFE Tom Kizzia, PILGRIM’S WILDERNESS Scott Anderson, LAWRENCE IN ARABIA George Saunders, TENTH OF DECEMBER Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett, A HOUSE IN THE SKY Rainbow Rowell, ELEANOR AND PARK Jaron Lanier, Who Owns the Future? Meg Wolitzer, The Interestings Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland Juan Gabriel Vásquez, Anne McLean, The Sound of Things Falling Helene Wecker, The Golem and […]
Amazon Courts Independent Retailers With Kindle Sales Program
Amazon’s ongoing attempt to convince independent retailers to sell Kindle devices and ebooks persisted a little bit more with the formalization of program under the name Amazon Source. The company touts Source as a way for “independent bookstores and other retailers to sell Kindle devices and accessories, and earn money while doing so” through programs tailored for small businesses. At least two bookstores in Washington state, the University of Puget Sound Campus Bookstore and JJ Books, tested out Amazon Source in a pilot program. Source presents two options to retailers: Buy Kindle devices at a 6 percent discount and earn a […]
People, Etc.: Coady’s Story Collection Wins Giller
Lynn Coady‘s story collection Hell Going won the Giller prize on Tuesday night. Published in Canada by House of Anansi, it was the one book in contention that did not already have an announced US publisher. She was shortlisted in 2011 for THE ANTAGONIST, published in early 2012 by Knopf. Coady’s US agent Christy Fletcher told us that they “have serious interest and expect to close soon” on US rights for HELL GOING. Michael Signorelli will join Holt as senior editor on November. He has been at Harper Collins for over 8 years. At Holt he will focus on crime […]
People, Etc.
Founders and current editorial directors of Kar-Ben Publishing Judye Groner and Madeline Wikler will retire in December after nearly 40 years in publishing, beginning with the 1974 publication of MY VERY OWN HAGGADAH. Kar-Ben was acquired by Lerner Publishing in 2001 and became the company’s Jewish children’s book imprint. Kar-Ben publisher Joni Sussman said in a statement: “We thank Judye and Madeline for their enormous contribution to Kar-Ben and to the field of Jewish children’s books over the years, and for helping us to grow Kar-Ben into one of the largest and best known Jewish-themed children’s book publishers in the […]