Simon & Schuster’s “larger public responsibility as citizens” will be tested yet again over the book by Senator Josh Hawley — since Regnery Publishing “is proud to stand in the breach with him” and intends to publish THE TYRANNY OF BIG TECH on May 4. S&S is the distributor for Regnery. Distributors generally have no control…
Authors
Publishers Are Holding or Bifurcating Foundry Payments
Following our story from last week on authors receiving bad checks from Foundry Literary + Media for payments due — along with advocacy from the Authors Guild — we have learned that multiple large publishers have moved quickly to protect authors’ funds. The Penguin Random House royalty department told a representative of Foundry in an…
People, Etc.
Obituaries National Book Award winner Barry Lopez, 75, died Christmas Day following a lengthy battle with prostate cancer. Publishing veteran Roland Elgey, 65, died recently of colorectal cancer. He was 65 years old. His 40 years in publishing included serving as president of Que Computer Publishing and svp of sales at Que/Sams, Hungry Minds. Later…
Controversies: PRH Canada Employees Object to New Peterson Book, and More on the BN Hack
At Penguin Random House Canada, the originating publisher of Jordan B. Peterson, at least some employees objected to the news that the company will publish his second book in March. The company held a virtual town hall on Monday after announcing publication, “during which executives defended the decision to publish Peterson while employees cited their…
Authors Demand Audible Stop Aggressive Exchange Policy that Reduces Earnings
Following an accounting adjustment in October, authors who produce and sell their own audiobooks through Audible’s ACX became aware of the significant extent to which “returned” and “exchanged” audiobooks — encouraged by Audible itself — have been cutting into their proceeds. Returns and exchanges turned out to comprise “15% to 50% or more of lost…
People, Etc.
Gisselda Nuñez will join HarperCollins in the new role of vp, diversity, equity, and inclusion on September 21. Nuñez will “lead and advise the company on DE&I initiatives, creating a strategy/vision that aligns with HarperCollins’s values and culture.” She was previously executive director, head of diversity strategy at Morgan Stanley. Amanda Armstrong-Frank has been promoted…
