Random House Trade Paperbacks has moved up publication of the trade paperback edition of National Book Award-winning novel LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN by Colum McCann from next spring to December 4. They say they are printing 100,000 copies. PJ Mark, formerly an agent and international rights director at McCormick & Williams, will join Janklow & Nesbit Associates in January as an agent, to expand his list of award-winning young talent in fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels. Wiley has signed with the Copyright Clearance Center to use their Rightslink service as the online licensing solution for their journals and books. […]
Agency News
Harlequin Drops Brand from Self-Publishing Line, As Criticism Continues
Harlequin has continued to suffer criticism on multiple fronts on their new self-publishing program, and while they have not altered the offering itself, they are removing the name Harlequin from the line. CEO Donna Hayes said in a statement replying to the Romance Writers of America’s declaration that the publisher would no longer be eligible for certain resources at the organizations conference: “We are changing the name of the self-publishing company from Harlequin Horizons to a designation that will not refer to Harlequin in any way. We will initiate this process immediately. We hope this allays the fears many of […]
People
Danielle Perez is joining New American Library as executive editor, where she will acquire commercial fiction and nonfiction, starting January 4. Perez has been at Bantam for 11 years. Michelle Brower is joining Folio Literary Management as an agent, after five years with Wendy Sherman Associates. Kristin Lang has joined Audible as director of editorial business development. managing the growing fiction publishing program and developing and acquiring new and innovative audio projects. She was editorial director at Macmillan Audio, overseeing the selection and acquisition of over 100 titles annually. Tangentially, Moby Lives speculates on a number of potential candidates for […]
People and Authors
Stephenie Meyer will make a rare promotional appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show this Friday. She blogs on why she is “making an exception” from “doing the hermit thing”: “I am so pleased and amazed and thrilled with what Chris Weitz has done with New Moon that I want to talk about it, and to show my support for him.”Meyer blog Gwendolyn Heasley will join Artisans and Artisans as an agent, focusing on young adult. Her own debut YA novel, Confessions of a Teenage Recessionista, was sold to Harper Collins in a two-book deal in July. Vook has hired Peggy […]
Macmillan Contract Updates
Agent Kristin Nelson notes on her blog that a number of agents did not receive the initial dispatch of Macmillan’s proposed new contract boilerplate and accompanying letter from ceo John Sargent. Nelson adds that “today I got an email that agents can respond until January 4, 2010.” As agents continue to review the proposed changes, we heard additional concerns including the standardization of audio royalties to 10 percent of net that eliminates what had been a much higher percentage for streaming audio (e.g. Audible) offered by most other publishers, and a termination boilerplate that effectively means works would never qualify […]
Royalty Revisionism: New Macmillan Contracts Looks to Change eRoyalties and More
Macmillan ceo John Sargent wrote to agents earlier this week to present for the first time a new standardized boilerplate contract across all of the trade publisher’s imprints and divisions that the company intends to introduce as of November 9, featuring a number of comprehensive changes in their basic business terms. The goal, he writes, is “to facilitate a more efficient contracting process, for ourselves as well as for our authors and their agents, and to make sure our author agreements reflect current business realities.” One notable effect, as agent Richard Curtis underscores on his blog, is a proposed new […]