While Montana’s Attorney General looks into Greg Mortenson’s dealings with his charity CAI, two state lawmakers–Rep. Michele Reinhart of Missoula to buy the book and Rep. Jean Price of Great Falls–filed suit in a Missoula Federal Court against Mortenson, alleging fraud. They claim they “purchased the book because of his heart-wrenching story which he said was true,” says their attorney Alexander Blewett. “If people had known all of this was fabricated, they would not have given the money.” The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status and have asked the judge to creative a “constructive trust” to be “administered by a court-appointed […]
Authors
The June 2011 Indie Next List
Here are the ABA’s June selections: 1. Silver Sparrow, by Tayari Jones State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett Joy for Beginners, by Erica Bauermeister To Be Sung Underwater, by Tom McNeal The Borrower, by Rebecca Mikkai Best Staged Plans, by Claire Cook Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away, by Christie Watson South of Superior, by Ellen Airgood The Beekeeper’s Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honeybees Help to Feed America, by Hannah Nordhaus The Upright Piano Player, by David Abbott Vaclav & Lena, by Haley Tanner Eleven, by Mark Watson Summer of the Bear, by Bella Pollen Faith, by Jennifer […]
Awards: LAT Book Prizes and More
At the LAT Festival of Books, the paper awarded its annual book prizes: Biography Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken (Random House Current Interest Michael Lewis, The Big Short (Norton) Fiction Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Goon Squad (Knopf) Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction Peter Bognanni, The House of Tomorrow (Amy Einhorn/Putnam) Graphic Novel Adam Hines, Duncan the Wonder Dog: Show One (Adhouse Books) History Thomas Powers, The Killing of Crazy Horse (Knopf) Mystery / Thriller Tom Franklin, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (William Morrow) Poetry Maxine Kumin, Where I Live (Norton) Science & Technology Oren Harman, The Price of Altruism: George […]
People, Etc.
Laura Hazard Owen will join paidContent as a staff writer covering books and digital publishing beginning in mid-May. Previously she was the editorial manager of Publishing Trends. Judy Courtade will join Perseus Distribution as associate director, client services. Her most recent position was sales director for Black Dog & Leventhal and prior to that she was vp, sales director at Random House Jared Bland will join House of Anansi Press as managing editor on July 4. He is currently managing editor for The Walrus. Simon & Schuster will take over sales, distribution and fulfillment in the United States, Canada and open […]
Robert B. Parker Estate Taps New Writers to Continue Spenser and Jesse Stone Series
Putnam announced that two series by bestselling mystery writer Robert B. Parker, who died in January 2010, will continue in the hands of new writers. Producer and screenwriter Michael Brandman will write the first new Parker brand book, ROBERT B. PARKER’S KILLING THE BLUES, which continues the Jesse Stone series and which will publish on September 13. Brandman already has considerable experience with the character as he co-wrote and co-produced the television movies featuring Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone. Ace Atkins, whose last few novels have been published by Putnam (and who begins a new series of his own with […]
eNews: e-Royalty Escalators; Sony Tablets On the Way; Product Placement; and More
Some UK agents claim to the Bookseller that they have negotiated e-royalty escalators and expect this move “will be the norm, not the exception” in the future, but it sounds more like an aspiration than a well-documented accomplishment. Blake Friedmann agent Oliver Munson is the only one saying on the record they’ve already done this: “We’ve certainly had e-book escalators in a number of contracts….. I can’t realistically envisage the much-trumpeted 25% net receipts remaining the benchmark for much longer either.” Piers Blofeld at Sheil Land also says “I have negotiated an escalator, but not with one of the big four. That would be […]