Spanish newspaper El Pais interviewed Andrew Wylie at the Frankfurt Book Fair, where he reported the sad news that Salman Rushdie has “lost the sight of one eye” and “one hand is incapacitated because the nerves in his arm were cut.” Wylie underscored, “it was a brutal attack” and Rushdie “has about 15 more wounds in his chest and torso.” More broadly, the full interview is classic Wylie. He provides a colorful account of what he believes he said in court during the Penguin Random House antitrust trial: “The mistake the Department of Justice made was they were talking about […]
Authors
Hoover’s New Novel Sold Over 800,000 Units on Opening Day
Colleen Hoover’s IT STARTS WITH US sold over 800,000 units in the US on its publication day, Tuesday, October 18, publisher Atria reported. That includes considerable pre-orders, along with sales across all major formats (print, ebooks, and digital audiobooks). Atria printed 2.5 million copies, across four printings, and said the book “was the most pre-ordered novel in Simon & Schuster history.” Update: NPD Bookscan subsequently recorded opening week sales of 809,000 hardcovers alone through the outlets that they track.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka, Forthcoming from Norton, Wins Booker Prize
Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker Prize for his second novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. A creator of rock songs, screenplays and travel stories as well, Karunatilaka’s debut novel, Chinaman (published in the US by Graywolf as The Legend of Pradeep Mathew), won the Commonwealth Prize in 2011. Norton bought North American rights to Seven Moons at auction shortly before the shortlist was announced, and currently has trade paperback publication scheduled for November 1. Independent press Sort of Books published in the UK, and Karunatilaka is represented by David Godwin Agency. In the spring, Little Brown UK […]
Memorial: Joan Didion
Knopf will hold a celebration of the life of Joan Didion on Wednesday, September 21, beginning at 5 PM, in New York at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue. Speakers will include Hilton Als, Gov. Jerry Brown, Griffin Dunne, Justice Anthony Kennedy, Susanna Moore, Vanessa Redgrave, David Remnick, Patti Smith, Jia Tolentino, Calvin Trillin, and Kevin Young. The service is open to the public and a livestream will be hosted on the Cathedral’s website as well. Didion died on December 23 at the age of 87.
Hoover’s Print Sales Have Topped 7 Million Units in 2022
NPD Bookscan noted in a release that Colleen Hoover has sold 7.3 million print books so far this year, through August 27. Right now she occupies four of the top six spots on Bookscan’s most recent bestseller list, and nine of the top 20 spots — with titles from three different publishers. Year to date, she holds five of the top eight bestselling print books as well. Her new book, IT STARTS WITH US, publishes October 18 and “is expected to smash presale records,” Bookscan adds. The majority of Hoover’s books are categorized as romance, and a separate release from […]
Barnes & Noble Stocking Policy Sparks Controversy Online
Last week, multiple middle grade and young adult authors, agents, and booksellers posted on Twitter about Barnes & Noble’s stocking policies, causing alarm online. A number of authors were finding out for the first time that their new hardcover releases will not be stocked at the chain, including Kelly Yang, Kalynn Bayron and Newbery winner Meg Medina. PL reached out to Barnes & Noble and publishers for clarity. The chain has been telling publishers for some time that middle grade hardcovers, as well as to a certain extent YA and adult fiction hardcovers, are not selling through well, and new title […]