Cheryl A. Young is retiring from her position as executive director of the MacDowell Colony, which she has held since 1997. Young will remain in her position until her successor is in place in early 2019. She said, “Not only has MacDowell been a home to me, it has been a great joy to be around such passionate people … the staff, board, volunteers, and donors. Everyone is devoted to helping artists make new work. MacDowell has been an exceptional organization since its pioneering beginning, and each generation has a role to play in safeguarding it.” Maris Kreizman has started contributing […]
Awards
People, Etc.
At Hachette Book Group, Todd McGarity has been promoted to the new, expanded role of vp, business development. He will now “lead HBG’s growth through acquisition efforts,” while continuing to run the client services (distribution) business. Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul, 85, died on August 11 at his home in London. Born in Trinidad to emigrants from India, he authored numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, including A House for Mr. Biswas and In A Free State, which won the Booker in 1971. When he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001, the Swedish Academy described him as “a […]
Turton Tops September Library Reads; BN Picks Green’s Debut
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton is the top pick for September’s Library Reads list. You can read a free excerpt now in our Buzz Books 2018 Fall/Winter sampler, along with three other Library Reads picks for the month: T.M. Logan’s Lies, Rebecca Serle’s The Dinner List, and Sarah Bird’s Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen. The rest of the list comprises: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, by Christina Lauren Night and Silence, by Seanan McGuire Lake Success, by Gary Shteyngart Transcription, by Kate Atkinson When the Lights Go Out, by Mary Kubica Hitting the Books, by […]
Briefs: UTA Sells Stake; Clinton and Patterson Sales Milestone; NEH Book Grants
In the capital-raising arms race among the big Hollywood talent agencies — which have grown into entertainment conglomerates themselves — United Talent Agency sold a minority stake to Investcorp and PSP Investments. Deadline and Variety say they sold approximately 40 percent of the agency, for an estimated $200 million. (When the search for investors was initiated earlier this year, Deadline said UTA has revenues of over $325 million a year, with profit of $50 million.) Some proceeds will be spread among employees throughout the agency, while a portion will go to “accelerate” their growth and “enhance UTA’s services.” The agency has more than […]
Moore’s She Would Be King Tops September Indie Next List
The ABA named She Would Be King by Wayetu Moore as its No. 1 pick for September. Also on the list is Rebecca Serle’s The Dinner List, which is excerpted in our Buzz Books 2018 Fall/Winter sampler and available for download now, as well as French Exit, by Patrick deWitt, included in our Buzz Books 2018 Spring/Summer sampler. The rest of the picks: Whiskey When We’re Dry, by John Larison Vox, by Christina Dalcher The Winter Soldier, by Daniel Mason Lake Success, by Gary Shteyngart Ohio, by Stephen Markley Severance, by Ling Ma The Silence of the Girls, by Pat Barker One Person, […]
August Bookseller Picks
Barnes & Noble has a new monthly promotional newsletter that includes a “Book of the Month” feature. Fiction buyer Sessalee Hensley touts Vox by Christina Dalcher (which publishes August 21). as “one of the hottest books to watch for.” She writes: “Vox is one of those rare books that addresses a pressing societal issue while also being a riveting read with unforgettable characters. Christina Dalcher has woven an eerily realistic story in which a brave woman sets out to reclaim her voice for herself, her daughter, and all women. The novel is The Handmaid’s Tale meets Need to Know, as it’s as […]