The man who made countless national secrets transparent without permission now faces a bit of turnabout, as Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s memoir is set to be published tomorrow, over the author’s apparent objection. Canongate will release the book in the UK, but will present it as “an unauthorized biography” since by their own account the author wanted to cancel the contract. Canongate says Assange “had already signed his advance over to his lawyers to settle his legal bills” and did not pay them back, so the house “decided to honour that contract and to publish. Once the advance has been […]
Bookselling: Nebraska Book Has Trouble with Financing; Two Madison Bookstores Merge; BAMM Opens One, Closes Another; and More
In a Monday bankruptcy court filing, Nebraska Book Company said they have not been to secure their planned exit financing of $250 million yet. A hearing to confirm their reorganization plan scheduled for October 4 has been moved to October 27. The company said lenders were citing “various macroeconomic indicators, including a tightening of capital markets, as possible concerns with the debtors’ procuring the exit financing at this time.” Borders reported another $65.9 million in operating losses on sales of just $13.7 million for the month of August. (“Other revenue”, however, was $126.8 million, nearly double the $57.6 million from […]
People
Kelli Martin has joined Amazon Publishing in Seattle as senior acquisitions editor at Montlake Romance. Most recently, she was a senior editor at Harlequin, and has also held editorial positions at HarperCollins and Disney-Hyperion. Penguin Group publishing coordinator Matthew Boyd has been promoted to publishing manager and manager of special marketing initiatives. He “will continue to look for innovative ways to promote Penguin’s books, processes to better communicate information between imprints and departments, and partnerships to help Penguin Group reach new audiences.” Kate Gales has joined Simon & Schuster as a senior publicist. Previously she worked at Overlook Press. Literary […]
The Posthumous Files: James Cain, Reynolds Price, and Gerald Schoenfeld
In the ample flow of deal news, this week’s reports include a trio of posthumous publications: Hard Case Crime will publish James M. Cain‘s THE COCKTAIL WAITRESS, a previously unpublished manuscript that he was still working on upon his death in 1977. Founder and editor Charles Ardai told the NYT he was tipped off to the manuscript’s existence by Max Allan Collins, but it took him five years to obtain a copy and several years more to convince Cain’s estate to let him publish the book, which will appear as a hardcover in fall 2012. NYT Scribner will publish a […]
Bookselling: Two-and-A-Half Openings, and Two Closings
Quincy Books in Quincy, IL will open in space formerly occupied by Waldenbooks. The store is owned by Cowley Distributing, which operates six other stores in Central Missouri and bought two additional Borders properties as well as the one in Quincy. Quincy Herald-Whig New and used shop Ugly Dog Books will open in Attleboro, VT, with owner Kim Ward Storch committing to support three local charities. For every hardcover purchase of $8, customers can choose which of those charities will receive $4 from that purchase. The shop’s grand opening is set for October 8. Attleboro Patch Books-A-Million will close an […]
Bookselling: Stores Close in Westhampton, Downtown LA; OFT Sets Amazon/Book Depository Ruling Date; and More
The Open Book in Westhampton Beach will close by the end of the year. Owner Terry Lucas told the Southampton Press that “the difficult economy, the rise of the popularity of e-books and the arrival of another bookstore down the block” — meaning the Westhampton outpost of Books & Books, which opened in 2010 — combined to influence her decision. “We have tried everything to stay open, but it is not financially feasible to keep going…. I’m trying to focus on the good. I met so many amazing people and had so much fun.” Southhampton Press Metropolis Books will close […]