Award-winning author, renowned poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou, 86, died at her home in Winston-Salem, NC early Wednesday morning. She had been in failing health for some time, cancelling an awards appearance several days earlier. “She’d been very frail and had heart problems, but she was going strong, finishing a new book,” Angelou’s agent Helen Brann told ABC News. “I spoke to her yesterday. She was fine, as she always was. Her spirit was indomitable.” Angelou was the author of more than 30 books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, most notably I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS […]
Authors
HBG CEO Pietsch Writes to Authors
Following Thursday night’s removal of pre-order options for many Hachette Book Group titles on Amazon, as first reported by us, on Friday morning Hachette ceo Michael Pietsch dispatched a confirming email to authors, obtained by PL: “I am sorry to tell you that Amazon has now taken preorder capabilities away from Hachette Book Group publications…. There is no preorder button, and some not-yet-published books lack a Kindle page entirely.” Pietsch tells authors: “Please know that we are doing everything in our power to find a solution to this difficult situation, one that best serves our authors and their work, and […]
People: Einhorn to Leave Putnam, and More
Seven years after setting up an enonymous imprint at Putnam, Amy Einhorn is leaving the company at the end of June for another publisher. Her departure was confirmed for us by both Einhorn and Putnam president Ivan Held, to whom she has reported. Amy Einhorn Books started publishing in February 2009 in the most successful way possible — with publication of Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. The line went on to publish bestsellers including Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Sarah Blake’s The Postmistress, and Liane Moriarty’s The Husband’s Secret. Moriarty’s next book, Big Little Lies, is set for publication […]
Authors: John Green’s Fame Intensifies; Foer “Cultivates Thought” at Chipotle; and More
The Wall Street Journal profiles John Green at length a few weeks in advance of the release date for the highly-anticipated film version of THE FAULT OF OUR STARS, which the paper reports has sold more than 9 million copies in print. In trying to “pinpoint when Green went from being famous on the Internet to being just plain famous” the paper says “he avoids making physical contact with strangers and feels unsettled by the massive crowds he has been drawing during a nationwide tour” which included a recent screening for fans at a mall in Miami where “some 5,000 […]
Appeals Court Revives One Part of Authors’ Suit Against Harlequin
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed one part of Judge Harold Baer’s ruling from a year ago dismissing a class-action lawsuit brought by authors against Harlequin alleging that the publisher deprived them of ebook royalties. As a result, the suit will resume in its limited form, and is sent back to the District Court “for further proceedings.” The single claim that was restored (from the four claims initially made by the authors) by the Appeals Court is the contention that the licensing fees for ebook rights paid by Harlequin Enterprises to the party of record, Harlequin Switzerland, were not […]
eNews: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD eBook Arrives in July; ComiXology Cuts Off In-App Purchasing
HarperCollins and Cornerstone will release ebook and audiobook editions of Harper Lee‘s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD in the US and UK on July 8, making available one of the longest-standing digital holdouts. Lee, who turned 88 on Monday, said in a statement released by Harper that “I’m still old-fashioned. I love dusty old books and libraries. I am amazed and humbled that MOCKINGBIRD has survived this long. This is MOCKINGBIRD for a new generation.” The news comes months after Lee settled a copyright lawsuit with her former agent Sam Pinkus that returned the rights to MOCKINGBIRD to her in full. […]