Oprah’s Semi-Annual Book Club 2.0[.3] will promote Sue Monk Kidd‘s Indie Next No. 1 pick THE INVENTION OF WINGS, set for publication on January 7. She says in the announcement, “These strong female characters represent the women that have shaped our history and, through Sue’s imaginative storytelling, give us a new perspective on slavery, injustice and the search for freedom.” Winfrey’s last selection was The Twelve Tribes of Hattie a year ago, and her post-broadcast book club started with Cheryl Strayed’s WILD in June 2012. (Prior to that, her last selection while her syndicated talk show aired was Charles Dickens’ GREAT […]
Awards
Sue Monk Kidd Tops January Indie Next List
The ABA listed their picks for next month: The Invention of Wings, by Sue Monk Kidd The Kept, by James Scott The Ascendant: A Thriller, by Drew Chapman A Star for Mrs. Blake, by April Smith Little Failure: A Memoir, by Gary Shteyngart Unremarried Widow: A Memoir, by Artis Henderson Badluck Way: A Year on the Ragged Edge of the West, by Bryce Andrews The Bird Skinner, by Alice Greenway In the Blood, by Lisa Unger Shovel Ready, by Adam Sternbergh If Only You People Could Follow Directions: A Memoir, by Jessica Hendry Nelson The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles, by […]
People: Hayes to Retire from Harlequin, and More
Harlequin ceo and publisher Donna Hayes “has decided to retire” at the end of the year, with current Harlequin North America coo Craig Swinwood set to become the new publisher and ceo on January 1 “as part of the succession planning process.” Parent company Torstar president and ceo David Holland says in the announcement: “Donna Hayes has served Harlequin and Torstar with great distinction for the past 28 years. She has led Harlequin from being a series romance publisher to becoming a broad-based publisher of women’s fiction and has demonstrated invaluable foresight in positioning Harlequin for a more digital future.” As for Swinwood, who has […]
People, Etc.: Andre Schiffrin Dies At 78, and More
Co-founder of The New Press and longtime editor in chief and managing director of Pantheon prior to the Andre Schiffrin died in Paris on Sunday from pancreatic cancer. He was 78. The NYT calls him “a publishing force for 50 years, whose passion for editorial independence produced shelves of serious books, a titanic collision with a conglomerate that forced him out to stem losses, and a late-in-life comeback as a nonprofit publisher.” And they certify in print a definition of Pantheon as “a Random House imprint where making money was never the main point.” Bertelsmann’s president of corporate development and […]
Costa Shortlists, and More
In the UK, the shortlists were announced for the Costa Awards in four categories. Women claimed all the nominations for best novel, while men took most of the first novel slots: Novel Life After Life, Kate Atkinson Unexpected Lessons in Love, Bernardine Bishop Instructions for a Heatwave, Maggie O’Farrell All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld First Novel Idiopathy, Sam Byers Meeting the English, Kate Clanchy The Shock of the Fall, Nathan Filer Marriage Material, Sathnam Sanghera In Canada, trade magazine Quill & Quire named their top six works of fiction of the year: The Orenda, Joseph Boyden The Luminaries, Elizabeth […]
People
At Vintage/Anchor, Russell Perreault has been promoted to vp, executive director of publicity & social media, continuing to report to Anne Messitte. In a statement she said Perreault “has always had a keen instinct for partnership in the greater media landscape. Working closely with film and television companies, he has built the imprints’ movie tiein program to one of the largest in the industry. And, in the social media space, Russell has been strategically expanding consumer reach both for our publishing program and for our authors.” In addition, Kate Runde has been promoted to director of publicity. At Nicholas Brearley […]