As book fair business unfolds in rather traditional fashion–23,000 people having meetings with each other–a number of panels aired the anxiety-making question of the digital era: Is this revolution or evolution, and who of those 23,000 survives and prospers in that transition? An international panel of executives took on that topic in one of this morning’s panels, with Penguin ceo John Makinson beginning the conversation by allowing that “I’ve never been in a revolution…but it certainly doesn’t feel like evolution when I come in to the office every day.” Makinson noted that “at every step of the way something dramatic […]
Mehta Honored at LBF
At a lunchless lunchtime presentation at the London Book Fair today, longtime Knopf Publishing Group chairman and editor-in-chief Sonny Mehta was honored with the LBF’s Lifetime Achievement Award in International Publishing. In accepting the honor, Mehta said: “My own view is that awards should be given to writers, not publishers, so today I want to celebrate the writers I’ve had a hand in publishing, recognize the agents who brought their works to me, and trumpet the heroic efforts of my colleagues, first at Pan and Picador, and now at Knopf and Doubleday.” More broadly, Mehta suggested that “the universality and […]
Orange Prize, IMPAC Shortlists
The Orange Prize shortlist was announced yesterday: Emma Donoghue, RoomAminatta Forna, The Memory of Love Emma Henderson, Grace Williams Says it Loud Nicole Krauss, Great House Téa Obreht, The Tiger’s Wife Kathleen Winter, Annabel Release The IMPAC Dublin Literary Award shortlist of 10 authors includes Colum McCann,z Yiyun Li, William Trevor and Joyce Carol Oates. Full List
Coming May 3: $114 Kindle With Ads on Home Page, Screen Savers
Amazon announced Monday that it will issue a “new” edition of its wi-fi Kindle priced at $114, $25 less than the going rate for the current wireless edition. The catch–or hook, depending on your vantage point–is that this edition, which ships starting on May 3, will feature Special Offers, the retailer’s preferred name for ads that will run on the e-reader’s home page and screen savers. Among the deals on offer for the first few weeks include discounted Amazon gift cards, discounts on other Amazon products like jeans and swimsuits, and free gifts for signing up for an Amazon Rewards […]
Briefs: US Trustee Objects to Borders Executive Bonuses; Indigo Faces Its ‘Starbucks Moment’; Kobo European Push; and More
Last week Tracy Hope Davis of the US Trustee’s Office filed an objection to Borders’ plan to pay executives up to $8.3 million in bonuses on the grounds that the bonus motion “is premature and should not be granted.” Borders had characterized the bonus plan as “providing necessary incentives” but the Trustee’s Office felt “there is no information that explains what extra services the insiders would perform beyond their ordinary job duties or a detailed description of the nexus between the supposed incentives and the payment trigger.” In addition, Davis said, the motion “provides no financial performance metrics nor are […]
People: Freese Leaves NBN; Burtenshaw Moves Up at Reed; and More
National Book Network president Rich Freese has left the company. His last day was Friday, April 8. President of NBN parent company Rowman & Littlefield Jed Lyons told us over the weekend that Freese’s departure was “very amicable” and the result of NBN’s announcement back in January that they would reduce their number of distribution clients. “We’ve been talking about it for weeks,” Lyons explained. “Since Rich’s principal role was in working on new business development, it didn’t make sense for him and the company to continue working together.” Lyons said there will be no additional changes to NBN’s executive […]