A Delaware Appeals Court has refreshed our collective memory on last year’s protracted proxy fight between Barnes & Noble and billionaire Ron Burkle thanks to its ruling yesterday that the poison pill measure, which limits stockholders to 20 percent or less of total company stock, should still be allowed to stand. AP The libel case author Karin Calvo-Goller brought against NYU Law School professor Joseph H.H. Weiler for publishing a negative review of her book has been dismissed by a French court, which said “the review expressed a scientific opinion of the book and did not go beyond the kind […]
Upcoming: Stephen King’s ’11/22/63′; George RR Martin’s Next Game of Thrones Novel; Billy Joel’s Memoir
Stephen King‘s next novel 11/22/63, a 1000-page book “counterfactual” account of the JFK assassination, will be published by Scribner and Hodder & Stoughton on November 8. Announcement The next installment of George RR Martin’s Song of Ice & Fire epic fantasy series will be released by Del Rey/Spectra on July 12. A Dance with Dragons is “close enough to being finished” and comes six years after the previous series entry. EW Finally, HarperCollins will publish Billy Joel’s memoir State of Mind on June 14. The book will explore the “emotional ride” of Joel’s marriages and his struggles with depression and substance abuse.
Variations on a Theme of Bankruptcy: Borders, REDGroup, Nebraska Book and More
A hearing has been scheduled for March 15 on Borders‘ request that the judge overseeing bankruptcy proceedings take more time to decide what the company should do about outstanding lease agreements. Debtors are typically allowed 120 days under the bankruptcy code, but can ask for a 90-day extension for a total of 210 days. Borders, however, has asked to have until January 12, 2012 to deal with leases. Freep REDGroup Retail will close 38 of its 260 bookstores in Australia and New Zealand as part of its recently filed bankruptcy agreement. Of those stores, 37 were Angus & Robertson shops […]
People, Awards, and Announcements
Kensington Books founder and chairman emeritus Walter Zacharius died Wednesday at the age of 87. He was also the author of the 2005 novel The Memories We Keep, publishing when he was 81. Agent Richard Curtis writes: “His career paralleled and exemplified the rise of the great postwar paperback industry, and his genius shaped his company into a major force in the industry. Yet, even at an advanced age, he recognized the significance of digital technology and inspired his company to forge into the new era.” Obit At Simon & Schuster, Doug Stambaugh has been promoted to vp, business development […]
iPad 2 Ships March 11 in US; Random House’s 17K Titles In iBookstore
The slimmer, thinner, camera-laden iPad 2 was unveiled yesterday with typical Apple fanfare, releasing March 11 in the US and March 25 in 25 other countries. The surprise was the appearance of Steve Jobs who presented expected news: now that Random House has adopted the agency model, their full electronic list of 17,000 is available through the iBookstore in the US. (Random House Canada indicated that they will not be joining the iBookstore for now, as their “digital terms of sale remain unchanged at this time.”) Apple bragged that over 100 million e-books have been downloaded–not sold–worldwide since the iBookstore’s […]
Announcements: BN Settles Spring Design Lawsuit; McGraw-Hill Buys Bookette; Quarto Buys Cool Springs Press; and More
Barnes & Noble has settled with Spring Design over the 2009 lawsuit on whether the Nook’s design breached patent agreements for the now discontinued Alex Reader. Under terms of the agreement, Spring is granting Barnes & Noble a non-exclusive license for all of its patents and patent applications. Other terms of the settlement were not disclosed.Release McGraw-Hill has bought Bookette Software Co., a privately held provider of automated scoring for tests, including written exams.Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Release AbeBooks’ European division will acquire ZVAB.com, a leading online marketplace of German rare antiquarian books, from Mediantis AG. The acquisition […]