On Monday a federal judge in Montana tossed out a lawsuit filed by four book buyers against Greg Mortenson and Penguin on the grounds that THREE CUPS OF TEA’s alleged fabrications deceived the quartet into believing the book was nonfiction. In dimissing the complaint charging fraud, deceit, racketeering and breach of contract, US district judge Sam Haddon said the lawsuit, which has been pending for more than a year, was based on “imprecise, in part flimsy, and speculative” claims and that the further pursuit of legal action “would be futile.” Haddon was particularly critical of the plaintiffs’ racketeering claims, saying […]
Authors
People, Etc.
Amber Guetebier has been promoted to editor at Red Wheel Weiser Books and Conari Press. She was formerly assistant editor. Chad Harbach won the Book-of-the-Month Club’s First Fiction Award for The Art of Fielding; Tea Obreht won the Quality Paperback Club’s New Voices Award for her debut novel The Tiger’s Wife, and Conor Grennan received the QBPC’s nonfiction New Visions award for Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal. Author Toni Morrison is among the 13 new recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom–along with former University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt, whose latest memoir was just announced. […]
Digital News: More Languages for Potter; Harris Turns Packager; and More
As promised, Pottermore has placed on sale French, Italian, Spanish and German editions of the Harry Potter ebooks. Former book-to-film agent Nick Harris, who left ICM recently, is starting a new company with funding from his brother-in-law Jason Traub. In the vein of Alloy Entertainment and Full Fathom Five, The Story Foundation will create books in the packager model–saying they will split proceeds 50/50 “most of the time” with authors–and aims to develop those books as film/TV projects and for “other multi-platform opportunities.” Harris tells Deadline he is already worked on five projects, based on his own ideas. “After parting […]
People, Etc.: LAT Book Prizes Name Shakar’s Luminarium Best Novel
At Simon & Schuster, Colin Shields has been promoted to vp, director of digital sales. He will continue to have responsibility for the print business at Amazon.com, as well as digital sales for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Sony, Kobo, and others. Ryan Doherty has been promoted to senior editor at Random House’s trade paperback unit. In addition, Kelli Fillingim moves up to associate editor. Stephanie Gorton has joined Open Road as acquisitions manager, reporting to Tina Pohlman. Previously she was an editor at Overlook Press. In addition, consulting editorial director Marjorie Braman will now become strategic advisor, author brands, […]
Amazon Publishing Gets North American Rights to James Bond Backlist
When Curtis Brown UK managing director Jonny Geller announced that Jonathan Cape had acquired a ten-year license to republish Ian Fleming’s James Bond backlist in the UK, he intimated there would be a new North American publisher in the works as well. As was announced Tuesday afternoon, that publisher is Amazon, through its Thomas & Mercer imprint, which will reissue the 14 Bond novels, as well as two non-fiction titles by Fleming, The Diamond Smugglers (1957) and Thrilling Cities (1963), in ebook and print formats starting this summer. (Penguin previously held world English rights to the Bond novels, but their […]
People, Etc.
David Hillman has been named evp, general counsel at Simon & Schuster, effective April 23, reporting to Carolyn Reidy. Hillman replaces Elisa Rivlin, who is leaving the company. He will be responsible for all legal affairs for S&S and its worldwide companies, working in close counterparts with his colleagues at CBS. Hillman was most recently chief administrative officer, general counsel, and evp, business affairs at Dial Global. The Orange Prize shortlist was announced, featuring three American authors. The winner will be named May 30: Esi Edugyan, Half Blood Blues Anne Enright, The Forgotten Waltz Georgina Harding, Painter of Silence Madeline […]