The most talked-about story for much of Monday afternoon was a report from NextGov on a pending no-bid State Department contract for Amazon to fill “an immediate need for approximately 2,500 ereaders and 50 titles of content” with Kindle Touch 3G units to be “used as a classroom tool for English language programs globally.” State’s acquisition managers claimed they had “identified the Amazon Kindle as the only e-Reader on the market that meets the Government’s needs, and Amazon as the only company possessing the essential capabilities required by the Government.” Under scrutiny the story changed several times (as evident by paidContent’s report, rewritten […]
People, Etc.: McIntosh Named Random House COO
Madeline McIntosh has been named chief operating officer for Random House, effective immediately, reporting to ceo Markus Dohle. She also continues with her duties and responsibilities held in her previous position as president, sales, operations and digital. McIntosh first joined the company in 1994 and, after a brief stint at Amazon, rejoined in 2009. In a statement Dohle said McIntosh “has been, and continues to be, a vital part of the transformation of our organization as we redefine the way our sales and corporate operations support and collaborate with our publishing divisions.” Dohle added: “I believe that the strong position […]
Bookselling: Blurbs From Booksellers Spurred US Deal For Historical Thriller; Discounting Outlawed on New Books in Israel; and More
The WSJ looks at the publication path of Michael Ennis‘s forthcoming historical thriller debut THE MALICE OF FORTUNE, which Doubleday will release in September. The piece emphasizes how Ennis’ agent, Dan Lazar at Writers House, sent out dozens of copies of the novel (the WSJ said 48, but Lazar clarified to us that it was “over 60”) to booksellers by self-publishing bound galleys, with 23 of those booksellers – including Books & Books owner Mitchell Kaplan, Tattered Cover’s Sarah Harvey, and Jenn Northington at WORD — responding with enthusiastic blurbs. But equally important is that Ennis’s original draft, at around […]
People: Buzz Waterhouse Named President and CEO of McGraw-Hill Education
As part of McGraw-Hill Education’s ongoing spinoff from the main company, the division has a new president and ceo in Lloyd G. “Buzz” Waterhouse as of June 14, reporting to company president, ceo and chairman Terry McGraw. Waterhouse was previously ceo of Harcourt Education and most recently served as a director of a number of companies including SolarWinds, ITT Educational Services and Ascend Learning. “Buzz is a superb choice to lead the world-class franchise we’ve built in McGraw-Hill Education,” McGraw said in a statement. “Buzz’s exceptional record of leadership, his qualifications in the education sector, substantial international credentials, significant experience […]
Neil Young Shares Glimpses of His “Diary”
Wednesday’s lunchtime talk between Patti Smith and Neil Young on the occasion of his upcoming book WAGING HEAVY PEACE — which he characterized as “not quite a memoir. It’s more like a diary and a projection” — was understandably a major event at BEA. As part of the wide-ranging conversation about Young’s career, how technology affected music, and the nature of memory, Smith told Young “I have read much of your book,” she said, “and one of the things I liked most about it is that there’s no barrier between the reader and you. It’s intimate. You’re talking. And it’s […]
eNews: Smashwords Projects Gross Sales of $12M This Year; Faber Condenses Book Extracts into “Faber Forty-Fives”; and More
Smashwords ceo Mark Coker told Forbes that the company expects to double their gross revenues in 2012, to $12 million. They keep roughly 15 percent of that gross, and the company expects pre-tax profit “approaching $1 million.” Coker indicates that romance novels and erotica comprise nearly 40 percent of sales. This week Faber & Faber launched a six-title series, Faber Forty-Fives, of ebook-only extracts priced at £1.99 taken from books on the publisher’s Pop list by Simon Reynolds, Rob Chapman, Nick Kent, and others. Editor Dave Watkins said on Faber’s blog the publisher had been “toying with the idea for a […]