Children’s book literary agent and packager Danielle Smith, founder of Lupine Grove Creative, has reportedly been accused of fraudulent deals with her clients and she has closed her agency. In a post to a private Facebook group (also then shared on Twitter) author Heidi Heilig wrote that “it was discovered a couple of days ago that [Smith] forged offer letters to her clients (and counselled her clients not to take them) (i do not know what the end goal was).” Helig says that Smith “has resigned as an agent, and in addition she was fired from Walden Pond Press where she […]
Authors
Briefs: Eyewear Publishing Has “Suspended All Poetry Projects”
UK-based small press Eyewear Publishing announced on Twitter that “In light of the decision by several Eyewear poets to happily announce new books with rival presses today without warning Director @toddswift_dr has suspended all poetry projects. Poets who abandon their debut presses do severe damage in terms of sales and funding to them.” That post drew a lot of criticism online, and both the tweet and the Eyewear Twitter account were deleted. In contrast, this week an Eyewear author, Jenna Clarke, was one of the winners of UK Society of Authors’ 2018 awards for a collection of poems by a […]
People, Etc.
Longtime Washington Post Book World editor Ron Charles is transitioning into a “redefined job” at the paper. He writes: “No more editing! From now on, I just get to write about books for the paper. After assigning and editing reviews every day for more than 20 years, I feel like that old tiger finally released from his cage who just keeps walking back and forth where the bars used to be. . . . Friends tell me I’ll get the hang of it.” Succeeding Charles as Book World editor is Stephanie Merry, who was previously a culture reporter for the […]
Judge Dismisses Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against Emma Cline
A California Federal court dismissed competing lawsuits by THE GIRLS author Emma Cline filed last November against her ex-boyfriend, Chaz Reetz-Laiolo, and his suit against her and Random House alleging copyright infringement. However, in granting and denying a flurry of motions to dismiss by both sides, Judge William Orrick left it open for amended infringement suits to be revived at a later date. Orrick’s 60-page order, issued June 28, dismissed a number of Chaz Reetz-Laiolo’s claims with prejudice, characterizing the litigation as “grist for its own novel” with allegations of sexual assault, plagiarism, keylogging, and infringement. Judge Orrick dismissed the […]
People, Etc.
John Siciliano has been promoted to executive editor for Penguin Books. He continues as executive editor for Penguin Classics. Remy Cawley has joined Nation Books as an assistant editor. Cawley was formerly at Norton. Michelle Obama‘s Facebook page features a video with remarks from her recent appearance at the ALA’s annual conference in New Orleans, talking about her forthcoming book: “It’s a its rehumanization effort…. It’s the ordinariness of a very extraordinary story. I hope that by telling it that it makes others..to feel the pride in their story in the way I feel about mine… I am not a unicorn. […]
Briefs: Oakland’s Laurel Book Store to Close, Arabic Kindle Books, and More
Bookselling Laurel Book Store in downtown Oakland, CA will close in August when their lease expires, as “ongoing sales have not been enough to meet expenses comfortably.” Owner Luan Stauss writes she is “continuing to engage with” potential business partners or buyers. Initiatives Simon & Schuster is launching consumer promotion program, Book Club Favorites, designed to highlight “noteworthy book club titles…from across the company.” Monthly picks will include bestselling authors as well as new voices. Debuting in July, the first title is the paperback edition Alice Hoffman’s The Rules of Magic. Discussion questions and other content will be available on the Book […]