Former publisher of Free Press Martha Levin will be reunited with Hyperion (where she was publisher from 1998 through 2001) on August 5 in the role of acting publisher, reporting to Michael Pietsch. Levin will work there “for at least six months to publish the books under contract and fully incorporate Hyperion’s backlist into HBG’s systems,” Pietsch said in an announcement to staff. In addition, Betsy Hulsebosch will remain with the reconstituted Hyperion, promoted to associate director of marketing and publicity. Levin is “assembling a team” for Hyperion, to include an editor, designer and support staff to work on the […]
Authors
Legal: Rowling Sued Leakers and Wins “Substantial Damages”; Klinger Moves For Summary Judgment Against Conan Doyle Estate
Not only was JK Rowling “very angry” with the attorney Chris Gossage at Russells, who leaked her secret writing identity, but she apparently sued both Gossage and his wife’s best friend Judith Callegari, whose ill-considered tweet unmasked “Robert Galbraith.” A statement read by Rowling’s new attorney in a UK High Court indicated she “was angry and distressed that her confidences had been betrayed and this was very much aggravated by repeated speculation that the leak had, in fact, been a carefully co-ordinated publicity stunt by her, her agent and her publishers designed to increase sales.” Plus, “The claimant has been […]
People
At Razorbill, Caroline Donofrio has been promoted to editor. At Random House Children’s, Books, Danielle Rollins has been promoted to marketing coordinator. At Llewellyn Worldwide, Tom Lund has been promoted to director of sales and marketing, replacing Rhonda Ogren upon her retirement. In addition, Kat Sanborn has joined the company as senior publicist. Jane Austen will appear on the £10 note starting in 2017, the Bank of England announced Wednesday. “Jane Austen certainly merits a place in the select group of historical figures to appear on our banknotes. Her novels have an enduring and universal appeal and she is recognised […]
Authors in the News: Galbraith FAQs; Ann Rule Sues Seattle Weekly; Pahlaniuk’s FIGHT CLUB Sequel; and More
The official website of “Robert Galbraith,” JK Rowling‘s crime-writing alter ego, now includes a FAQ addressing many of the questions that have emerged since the Sunday Times unmasked her identity earlier this month. She wrote THE CUCKOO’S CALLING under a pseudonym because “I was yearning to go back to the beginning of a writing career in this new genre, to work without hype or expectation and to receive totally unvarnished feedback. It was a fantastic experience and I only wish it could have gone on a little longer.” Rowling says she had “labyrinthine plans…to conceal my identity” and “hoped to keep […]
Gailbraithgate: Rowling’s Attorney’s Wife’s Best Friend Did It
It was a rare defeat for the cynics, as JK Rowling’s London law firm admitted that one of their partners was responsible for the unmasking of the famous author as the creator of Robert Galbraith’s THE CUCKOO’S CALLING. The firm said in statement: “We, Russells Solicitors, apologise unreservedly for the disclosure caused by one of our partners, Chris Gossage, in revealing to his wife’s best friend, Judith Callegari, during a private conversation that the true identity of Robert Galbraith was in fact JK Rowling.” But their apology isn’t really unreserved, since it goes on to pretend that there are reasonable circumstances […]
Rowling Published This Spring Quietly As “Robert Galbraith”
JK Rowling has confessed that she authored the crime novel THE CUCKOO’S CALLING, published in April to at least some positive reviews and very modest sales (441 print units in the UK, and about the same in the US, as tracked by Nielsen Bookscan). Rowling was unmasked by The Sunday Times “after it investigated how a first-time author ‘with a background in the army and the civilian security industry’ could write such an assured debut novel.” Actually, as the paper’s books editor Richard Brooks admitted, columnist India Knight was first set on the story by an anonymous Twitter tip (from an account […]