Earlier this month a New Jersey federal court judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against Penguin and author Michael Capuzzo that alleged his 2010 book THE MURDER ROOM was negligent in recounting an extramarital affair. Significantly, as we’ll detail below, the judge accepted standard publishing process for relying on the author’s work and warranties and not performing detailed “fact-checking.” As we reported in March 2011, plaintiff Joan Crescenz sued for defamation claiming that a 30-year relationship with employer and forensic sculptor Frank Bender described in the book never happened. Crescenz also said the allegations violated her privacy and that she wasn’t […]
Corporate: Quarto Changes to Aurum Publishing Group In UK; “Significant” Shortfall at Quercus; McGraw-Hill Education Takes 20 Percent Stake in Area9 Aps
Following the management change at The Quarto Group (with the ouster of longtime chairman Laurence Orbach, installing Tim Chadwick in his place, and the planned ascension of Marcus Leaver to ceo), they are creating a new UK publishing group, under a new name. The Aurum Publishing Group will unite the combined lists of Frances Lincoln (now fully integrated into Quarto, after the 2011 acquistion), Aurum Press, Jacqui Small, Union Books and Apple Press under as a single corporate division — and they will now all be housed in the same building, a new office in Angel, London. Aurum Press, incidentally, […]
People, Etc.
At Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Emily Bell has been promoted to associate editor. At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Sylvie Frank has joined Paula Wiseman Books as associate editor. Previously she was an editor at Holiday House. Jeanine Henderson has joined Aladdin as senior designer. She was previously a designer at Penguin Children’s. At Simon Spotlight/Little Simon, Jay Colvin joins as senior designer from FSG, while Liz Doyle has been named junior designer. Previously she worked for Hsu & Associates. At F+W Media, Stacie Berger has been promoted to vice president of communications. Author Joe McGinnis posted on his Facebook page that he has […]
Macmillan Initiates Library eBook Lending With 1200 Minotaur Backlist Titles
Macmillan has fulfilled ceo John Sargent’s end-of-year promise and will start making ebooks available for library lending for the first time, beginning “before the end of the first quarter.” Macmillan will offer 1200 backlist ebooks from its crime and mystery fiction imprint Minotaur through several distributors, including at launch 3M, OverDrive, and Baker & Taylor. Each purchased title will be available for 2 years or 52 lends, whichever comes first. All of the books in the program will have the same digital list price. That price was not included in the publisher’s announcement, but InfoDocket reports they will sell for $25 […]
eNews: NYPost’s First eBook (With Harper’s Help); Apple Sells 22.9 Million iPads; Kindle Paperwhite Available in Canada; and More
The New York Post has entered the ebook market, publishing with their corporate sibling HarperCollins, starting with Tricks of the Trade by Ashley Dupre, the paper’s sex advice columnist and former escort who became famous from the Eliot Spitzer scandal. NY Post publisher Jesse Angelo said in a release the ebook, available on various platforms for $5.99, “is a unique and fun book — the perfect way for the Post to enter the market…We expect it will be the first of many Post e-books to come in partnership with HarperCollins.” Digital Book World is offering its first ebook, Finding the […]
People: Palgon Leaves, Drake Promoted in Crown Realignment; Burch Leaves Touchstone
The Crown Publishing Group has realigned executive responsibilities in some areas, and evp, deputy publisher Michael Palgon will leavinge at the beginning of March as a result, after more than 24 years with the company and nearly five years at his current position. Crown president and publisher Maya Mavjee said in a statement that Palgon was “universally respected and admired throughout Random House, Inc., and the industry, for his publishing expertise and accomplishments, management skills, and financial acumen.” Mavjee also cited Palgon’s “most singular and enduring legacies will be the seminal and astute leadership he has provided in building and […]