Knopf has been positioning Jo Nesbo‘s THE SNOWMAN as its big summer thriller breakout, and they report selling 20,000 total copies so far of the May 10 release – with digital making up as much as 65 percent, at 13,000 units sold. Since every media outlet under the sun has wondered whether Nesbo is “the next Stieg Larsson,” it’s worth noting that THE SNOWMAN exceeded sales of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by 2,000 units during the same time frame. “The Larsson comp is significant because it demonstrates how much shift there has been in our business in under […]
Authors
People: Davidar Starts New Publishing House in India, and More
Former Penguin Canada publisher David Davidar, who left the company and the country under a cloud of controversy after sexual harassment allegations, has joined forces with Rupa Publications India to start a new publishing house, the Aleph Book Company. The new venture will begin with a small and select group of fiction and non-fiction titles (evidently mirroring Faber and Faber in the UK.) Said Davidar in a statement: “I am thrilled to join hands with Rupa to launch this venture. We will be looking be ensure that each book we publish makes its mark and to that any title that […]
Children’s Edition of ‘Heaven Is For Real’ Due In November, As Sony Acquires Film Rights
Thomas Nelson will publish a children’s edition of Todd Burpo & Lynn Vincent’s bestseller HEAVEN IS FOR REAL on November 9, priced at $14.99. The book has sold over 2 million copies and spent the past 17 weeks at #1 on the NYT non-fiction bestseller list. The new edition, titled HEAVEN IS FOR REAL FOR KIDS, will include illustrations by Wilson Ong, a Q&A for children and a prayer page. In related news, Sony Pictures has acquired film rights to the book, with Joe Roth and T.D. Jakes slated to produce. Roth told Deadline he became curious about HEAVEN IS […]
Mortenson Sued for Fraud and Racketeering; Class-Action Status Is Sought
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 […]
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 […]