Ironies abound if you know where to look here in Frankfurt, where the annual Book Fair is unfolding in its usual fashion. There is the host city itself, the the banking center of Germany, which has sprouted dozens of modern skyscrapers in the past decade as the Euro zone has boomed, feeling less brash and more uncertain than ever as the world waits to see if Germany will take some of the past decade’s earnings and plow it back into supporting the economic union that made it possible. Then there is this year’s guest of honor, Iceland. They signed on […]
Pan Macmillan’s Digital Imprint, Now Called Bello, Kicks Off With Curtis Brown UK Backlist
Pan Macmillan’s previously announced digital imprint devoted to backlist titles which they suggested would debut at Frankfurt has been renamed Macmillan Bello (supposedly for “hidden talent discovered and admired”) and acquired a marquee partner: Curtis Brown UK. The program will launch in November with 120 ebooks drawn exclusively from the agency’s backlist, with a further 400 titles to follow later next year. The launch list includes novels from Gerald Durrell, Vita Sackville-West; Francis Durbridge, D J Taylor, and Eva Ibbotson. “At Curtis Brown UK we have been researching the best ways to revive our authors’ out-of-print books, and were hugely impressed […]
People, Etc.
Eileen Lawrence will join Little, Brown Books for Young Readers as executive director of marketing on October 19. Previously she was senior executive director of advertising, promotion and creative services at the Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. At Headline, John Wordsworth has joined as editor, focusing on science fiction and fantasy titles. Previously he was an editor at John Blake Publishing. In addition, Ben Willis will join as publicity manager starting November 7. Previously he was a senior press officer at Transworld. Cover to Cover Booksellers founder Nicky Salan, 77, died yesterday at her home in San Francisco. She founded the […]
Imprints: Dennis Lehane Books; Amazon’s SF/F Imprint Called 47North
Recently Ecco announced its longtime author Anthony Bourdain would acquire and edit a handful of titles each year under his own eponymous imprint. Now William Morrow has followed suit in working with Dennis Lehane, whom they have published since 1994, on an imprint of his own. Dennis Lehane Books will “help identify and acquire literary fiction with a dark urban edge.” The announcement did not specify a launch title or a release date beyond saying Lehane would oversee publication of a “select number” of fiction titles annually and that he would work with his longtime editor Claire Wachtel. (Lehane’s agent […]
People: Berstelsmann Promotes Rabe to CEO as Ostrowski Leaves; Redmayne Named Pottermore CEO
Bertelsmann announced Monday that ceo Hartmut Ostrowski is leaving his position after more than three years for “personal reasons” and will join the company’s supervisory board as chairman. Thomas Rabe, who has been cfo since 2006, will replace him as of January 1, 2012. Ostrowski first joined Bertelsmann in 1982 and has worked for the company in various functions, including the chief executive position at Arvato and chairman of Bertelsmann’s executive board. Various news sources reported the news in advance of Bertelsmann’s statement, with Reuters deeming Ostrowski’s departure a “surprise” because his contract was not due to expire until December […]
Amazon Opens Kindle Store in France
Amazon has opened a Kindle store in France at Amazon.fr with more than 35,000 titles in French (and 800,000 more, primarily in English), a French-language version of its budget Kindle for 99 Euros, and the introduction of local Kindle Direct Publishing. The store will also offer graphic novels, more than 4000 free French classics, and top French newspapers. It is their second Kindle store in a language other than English, following the German store they opened in April. “French customers are passionate about books and reading, and just as we’ve seen in the US, UK and Germany, we believe they […]