World Book Night US has announced the 30 titles they will distribute for free on April 23. Anna Quindlen has been named honorary national chairperson. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (Ballantine) Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger (Da Capo) Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (Beacon Press) Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Tor) Little Bee by Chris Cleave (Simon & Schuster) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic) Blood Work by Michael […]
Awards
People: Abrams Restructures Editorial Team, and More
Abrams announced a series of changes to its editorial and art & design departments, which will now be spearheaded by svp, publisher Steve Tager. Deborah Aaronson has been promoted to associate publisher, adult trade, with responsibility for Abrams’ adult editorial resources and the adult art and design department. Both Aaronson and publishing director for lifestyle Leslie Stoker will report to Tager. Jennifer Levesque moves up to editorial director, reporting to Aaronson, where she will oversee Abrams Image. Adam Silverman is joining Monsoon Commerce as general manager of Alibris. CEO Brian Elliott says “his appointment reinforces our commitment to developing the […]
People, Etc.
Penguin USA ceo David Shanks is PW’s “person of the year,” cited “for his leadership role in building a solid foundation for his company while making the necessary investments and changes to build for the future.” Rochelle Bourgault joins Shambhala Publications this month, working mainly on their new Roost Books imprint. She will report to Sara Bercholz and work closely with Roost editor Jennifer Urban-Brown. Bourgault was formerly an editor at Quarry Books. Amanda Knox’s co-defendant (and former boyfriend) Raffaele Sollecito, exonerated of murder charges and released from prison at the same time as Knox last month, has signed with […]
People, Etc.
John Hawkins, who owned and operated the literary agency John Hawkins & Associates, died November 13 at the age of 72. The cause of death was not immediately available. Hawkins joined Paul R. Reynolds Inc., established by his wife’s grandfather, in 1966, became president of the agency in 1980 and changed its name to John Hawkins & Associates in 1985. Among his current and former clients are James Clavell, Alex Haley, Gail Godwin, E. Lynn Harris, Thomas McGuane, Harry Crews and Joyce Carol Oates, who said in a statement that Hawkins “was a beloved friend to his writers, warmly sympathetic, […]
Independents Triumph At National Book Awards
The National Book Awards turned into a celebration of independence of sorts on Wednesday night, with independent publishers issuing three of the four medal winners, and a special award for service to the American literary community going to independent bookseller and former ABA president Mitchell Kaplan from Miami’s Books & Books. In a similar but different vein, the AP called the evening’s festivities “a gilded tribute to the 99 percent. Stories of resilience in the face of poverty, displacement and disappearance were awarded Wednesday night as hundreds of writers, editors, publishers and other industry officials gathered under the 70-foot ceilings of […]
Later Today
At 12:30 the National Book Foundation will webcast their teen press conference from Scholastic, where NY middle school and high school students will interview the five official candidates for the award for Young People’s Literature. And tonight at 8, the organization will webcast the National Book Award ceremonies live from their home page. Separately, the UAW rally in front of HarperCollins’ midtown office building is scheduled for 12:30 today. The union says in a press release that “a number of HarperCollins works will speak,” and they “will be joined by several elected officials” among others. Harper production editor Dale Rohrbaugh […]