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 […]
Awards
People, Etc.
Louise Sherwin‐Stark, currently joint managing director of Hachette Australia and New Zealand, has been appointed ceo, reporting to deputy Hachette UK ceo Richard Kitson. Sherwin-Stark shared her position with Justin Ratcliffe who will stay on as managing director of Hachette ANZ. Kate Cassaday has been promoted to executive editor at Harper Canada, effective June 25. Emily C. Chiu joined Barnes & Noble Education’s board of Directors. She is as a principal at Square, the payment technology company. Awards In the UK, Preti Taneja‘s debut novel We That Are Young won the £10,000 Desmond Elliott prize.
Westover’s Educated Tops Amazon’s Best Books of the Year So Far
As we anticipated last week in our mini round-up, Amazon has now issued their list of the 20 best books of 2018 so far, along with a package of selections across 12 categories. Eight of our nine guesses appear on the Amazon — they dropped the Sedaris — but their list only adds two other titles that had multiple votes from the other “so far” lists (by Denis Johnson and Francisco Cantu). Usually less than half of Amazon’s top 20 So Far make it to the top of their end-of-year Best Books list. Last 12 titles from the first half made the […]
People, Etc.: Cheiffetz Starts Atria Imprint, MIT Clears Diaz to Teach
Julia Cheiffetz joins the Atria Publishing Group today as vice president and publisher of a yet-to-be-named imprint, effective today. She reports to new group publisher Libby McGuire, The imprint “will draw on [her] unique strengths as an editor and her passion for publishing books that address issues of social import.” She has been executive editor at Dey Street Books. Christine Mykityshyn is joining Celadon Books as director of publicity. Most recently she was publicity manager at Random House Publishing Group. Sara Beth Haring has joined St. Martin’s as marketing manager. Previously, she worked at Faith Words and Center Street. Tom Hallock, associate […]
Novik’s Spinning Silver Tops July’s Library Reads
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik is the top pick for July’s Library Reads list. Also on the list is Zoje Stage’s Baby Teeth, excerpted in our Buzz Books 2018 Spring/Summer sampler and available for download now. The rest of the picks: Clock Dance, by Anne Tyler Dear Mrs. Bird, by AJ Pearce Give Me Your Hand, by Megan Abbott Believe Me, by JP Delaney Caught in Time, by Julie McElwain Somebody’s Daughter, by David Bell The Romanov Empress, by C. W. Gortner Fruit of the Drunken Tree, by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
Briefs
Laura Brown has joined Park Row Books as editor, moving over from the Harper imprint. Opening Sales THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING by Bill Clinton and James Patterson sold approximately 152,000 hardcovers in the first week on sale, as tracked by Bookscan through the outlets they monitor. The co-publishers trumpet it as the best first week sale for a work of adult hardcover fiction since two years ago. Hachette Book Group ceo Michael Pietsch says in the release, “By any measure, this was a terrific opening week of sales, one that exceeded even our own optimistic projections.” Knopf Doubleday chairman Sonny […]