Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is withdrawing the inventory of Naomi Wolf’s OUTRAGES from accounts and has postponed the planned June 18 release. The book was revealed to have some foundational research errors in a BBC interview a couple of weeks ago. The publisher told the NYT, “As we have been working with Naomi Wolf to make corrections to Outrages, new questions have arisen that require more time to explore. We are postponing publication and requesting that all copies be returned from retail accounts while we work to resolve those questions.” Wolf tells the newspaper the recall is contrary to her wishes: […]
Authors
Briefs: Realignments, Initiatives, and More
Realigning Two UK publishers announced internal realignments. Ebury is adding “self” and “lifestyle/BBC” publishing “hubs” to the smart and entertainment hubs they created earlier this year — and now publicity and marketing are being brought closer together. It seems publicity is now called “campaigns,” with Joanna Bennett promoted to head of campaigns for the Smart hub, Tessa Henderson is head of campaigns for Entertainment; Stephanie Naulls has that position for Lifestyle/BBC; and they are recruiting someone for self. Separately, marketing becomes a Marketing, Insight & Digital centre (not a hub, or even a spoke), and will “share new digital resources […]
Briefs
After renewed controversy around prosector-turned-mystery novelist Linda Fairstein following the release of a Netflix series about the Central Park Five, When They See Us, her longtime publisher Dutton said Friday the two parties “decided to terminate their relationship.” A “person with knowledge of the situation” tells the NYT that Dutton is buying out her contract. It’s unclear what, if anything, is happening with Fairstein’s 14-title backlist at Dutton, and the publisher declines to explain what their brief statement actually mens. Her first five books were published by Scribner. Former ceo of Hachette UK Tim Hely Hutchinson was awarded a CBE […]
People, Etc.
Lauren Jackson has joined Saga Press as publicity and marketing manager. Dinah Dunn has partnered with Red Herring Design to form Indelible Editions, a book packager of illustrated nonfiction. She was most recently with Black Dog & Leventhal. John Hardy, senior director of distributor sales and retail marketing for Simon & Schuster, is retiring after 22 years with the company. Hardy joined the Pocket Books sales group in 1997 as national sales manager. SVP sales Gary Urda said, “What I will miss most about John is his boundless enthusiasm for our books, authors and company; his positive can do attitude […]
Zhao’s Postponed Blood Heir to Publish in November
Amélie Wen Zhao’s debut YA novel Blood Heir, originally scheduled for publication June and postponed earlier this year, will be published on November 19 by Delacorte. In January, Delacorte postponed indefinitely their publication at the author’s request, after some online readers accused Zhao of racism and insensitivity to the history of American slavery. Though Zhao had apologized “to the book community” at the time and expressed gratitude “to those who have raised questions,” now she tells the NYT that she reread her book several times and decided her critics were not right. She revised the novel, but says the final […]
Candidates, Books, and Earnings
Senator Kamala Harris was the latest Democratic Presidential candidate — and author — to release her recent tax returns. She had gross earnings of $733,000 in 2018 for her book, published in early 2019, and declared significant “commissions and fees” of $412,000. (She collaborated with Vinca LaFleur and Dylan Loewe on the book.) Inspired by the recent data, here is a rundown of candidate/authors, along with approximate print books sales as tracked by NPD Bookscan, rounded to the nearest thousand, and earnings from those who have released their tax returns: Joe Biden: Promise Me, Dad (2017) 279,000 HC; 22,000 TP […]