Fast-growing Sourcebooks is launching a new education division that will incorporate and extend existing publications and programs for college students and the college-bound with a number of new initiatives. Initial staffing for the division will include six new positions in sales, marketing and information systems, continuing to draw on existing staff in editorial and publicity. The first new hires are: Technical architect Deb Kimminau, responsible for leading the design and development of new digital initiatives, which include MyMaxScore; programmer analyst Kavita Khanna, responsible for updating and implementing new technical requirements for the MyMaxScore adaptive learning software; and education sales manager […]
Authors
Authors Organizations File Fresh Lawsuit Challenging Google Library Scans and Pending “Orphan Works” Access
The Authors Guild filed a fresh lawsuit yesterday in a New York Federal Court that stems from the Google Books library scanning project. In this case, they are suing the university consortium HathiTrust, as well as the regents and trustees of the University of Michigan, the University of California, the University of Wisconsin, Indiana University and Cornell. The Guild is joined by the Australian Society of Authors, UNEQ (a Quebec writers union), seven authors who are on the boards of those organizations, and author Fay Weldon. Like all the legal wrangling over the Google scanning, the case is complicated, and […]
Author Bourdain Gets An Imprint
No Reservations television host and author of Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw, Anthony Bourdain, will develop an an eponymous line of books with his publisher Ecco, planning on issue three to five books a year. The announcement says he will “acquire books that reflect his remarkably eclectic tastes.” As usual, Bourdain was represented by his agent Kim Witherspoon at Inkwell Management, who negotiated the deal with Ecco president and publisher Daniel Halpern. In the release, Bourdain says, “I’m doing this because…I can. Anyone who loves books, I think, given the opportunity to work with a legendary character like Daniel Halpern, […]
Awards: Booker Shortlist, Giller Longlist
The Booker Prize shortlist was announced today, and the best-known author among the candidates is Julian Barnes and his book THE SENSE OF AN ENDING. Barnes has made the shortlist three times before without winning, and is joined by only one other prior nominee, Carol Birch for JAMRACH’S MENAGERIE. Two debut novelists are included, Stephen Kelman and A.D. Miller, and Random House UK is the only of the country’s publishing giants represented. US rights to all but one title are already spoken for, and four of the five are already on the market in the US. Canadian Esi Edugyan’s HALF […]
Constellation Pairs With Faber Factory In UK Joint Venture
The UK’s Faber and Faber has joined with the Perseus Books Group’s Constellation to form a UK joint venture focused on digital distribution for independent publishers. The new entity combines Faber’s e-distribution initiative Faber Factory–with 70 client publishers–with Constellation’s platform, to form Faber Factory Powered By Constellation. Faber ceo Stephen Page says in the announcement, “Faber Factory was conceived as an ambitious response to the enormous and liberating opportunity for independent publishers in the digital age. The power of Faber partnering with Perseus makes this ambition immediately achievable, globally and long term as together we can offer market-leading tools, service […]
People, Etc.
Regan McMahon has joined Common Sense Media as book editor, managing their network of book reviewers who provide “information for parents so that they can make great media choices for their families.” McMahon had been a book editor at the San Francisco Chronicle and a blogger for the paper’s parenting blog. The TNT television show Rizzoli & Isles, based on the series of books by New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen, has been renewed for a third season. The 2011 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Awards of $25,000 each, for “women writers who demonstrate excellence and promise in the early […]