The Nobel Peace Prize is being shared by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakul Karma. Gbowee’s book MIGHTY BE OUR POWERS: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War, was published last month by Beast Books and attracted attention for an author tour that’s being underwritten by Len Riggio. Sirleaf’s book THIS CHILD WILL BE GREAT was published by Harper in 2009 and is available in trade paperback and ebook. In other awards news, The Crime Writers’ Association announced the winners of various Dagger Awards in a ceremony that will be televised on ITV3 on October 11: Gold Dagger For […]
Authors
Tomas Transtromer Wins Nobel Literature Prize
Despite a flurry of bets that installed Bob Dylan as the improbable front-runner, in the end, the Nobel Prize in Literature stayed close to home, going to Swedish poet and perennial favorite Tomas Transtromer, the eighth European winner over the past 10 years and the first Swedish writer to win the prize since 1974. In a statement the Nobel Prize committee said Transtromer, 80, won “because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality”. Transtromer’s Swedish publisher Bonniers had just released a collection of his work from 1954 to 2004 to celebrate his 80th birthday. “We […]
People, Etc.
At Scholastic, Dani Nadel has been hired as chief digital marketing officer for Scholastic book clubs and e-commerce, reporting to Judy Newman. She was most recently president at digital agency Publicis Modem since 2008. In addition, Tom Burke has been promoted to chief e-commerce officer, book clubs and e-commerce. Christopher Davis will join Open Road as evp and chief operating officer, overseeing operations and financial matters, reporting to Jane Friedman, starting October 17. He was previously the svp of business operations for AOL/The Huffington Post Media Group. At Scribner, Katie Monaghan has been promoted to deputy director of publicity. Liz Hartman has […]
Julian Assange WikiLeaks Canongate
It will come as no great surprise that Julian Assange has released correspondence with Canongate and purported transcripts of apparently-taped phone calls with Canongate publisher Jamie Byng. Though Canongate published the unauthorized draft in part due to admitted “financial imperative,” according to an email from Assange’s agent Caroline Michel, by going ahead with publication, Canongate now is obligated to pay Assange, “in accordance with the agreement, the remaining amounts of £225,000 on delivery of the complete manuscript and £175,000 on first UK publication.” (That should provide enough to pay back Knopf and still leave some for Assange.) As we noted […]
People: Sevier Promoted to EIC at Dutton, Rinaldi Leaves Rodale, and More
Ben Sevier has been promoted to editor-in-chief at Dutton, effective Octboer 3. He has been there for almost five years. President and publisher Brian Tart says, “I know from both authors and agents how much of an advocate Ben is for his writers. He gets the best out of them, every time. He believes in the power of a good story and he finds innovative ways to reach the widest possible audience for each of his books. I can’t think of a better person to lead our editorial efforts than Ben Sevier.” Rodale evp and general manager of the books […]
Palin Accuses McGinniss of Defamation and “May” File Claim
Sarah Palin’s Anchorage attorney has written to Crown, saying that Joe McGinniss’s book THE ROGUE “defamed” the Palins and that both the publisher and author “clearly knew the statements were false [and] admitted they had no basis in fact or reality.” The letter advises “that a claim may be brought against you.” (Or national attention for the threat may turn out to suffice.) It also lays out an argument that would have to be made before a court that McGinniss somehow “waived the attorney client privilege” when he made a casual reference in an email to what the Random House […]