Knopf has been positioning Jo Nesbo‘s THE SNOWMAN as its big summer thriller breakout, and they report selling 20,000 total copies so far of the May 10 release – with digital making up as much as 65 percent, at 13,000 units sold. Since every media outlet under the sun has wondered whether Nesbo is “the next Stieg Larsson,” it’s worth noting that THE SNOWMAN exceeded sales of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by 2,000 units during the same time frame. “The Larsson comp is significant because it demonstrates how much shift there has been in our business in under […]
Awards
Awards
The Quality Paperback Book Club’s New Voices Award went to Paolo Giordano for his novel THE SOLITUDE OF PRIME NUMBERS, and their New Visions Award went to Lisa Miller for HEAVEN. In the UK, The Bookseller Industry Awards were presented last night. The sponsor-laced award names can be a little embarrassing–Quercus is technically the “Bonnier Publishing Publisher of the Year”–so we’ll just present a few shorthanded highlights: Faber & Faber won both Independent Publisher of the Year and the Innovation Prize (for the Touch Press app of The Solar System) Clara Farmer at Chatto & Windus won Imprint and Editor […]
James Frey and Oprah Winfrey Make Amends
Oprah Winfrey is going to stretch two days out of setting her conscience to rest on James Frey before her show goes off the air. Though the conversation was lengthy in Monday’s first installment, together they cover already plowed ground. Frey told Oprah in early 2006 “I think I made a lot of mistakes in writing the book and promoting book” and that remains his theme: “I wrote a book and I published it as something that it wasn’t and I was dishonest in promoting the book,” he said on today’s episode. There is still some of the classic Frey […]
People: Davidar Starts New Publishing House in India, and More
Former Penguin Canada publisher David Davidar, who left the company and the country under a cloud of controversy after sexual harassment allegations, has joined forces with Rupa Publications India to start a new publishing house, the Aleph Book Company. The new venture will begin with a small and select group of fiction and non-fiction titles (evidently mirroring Faber and Faber in the UK.) Said Davidar in a statement: “I am thrilled to join hands with Rupa to launch this venture. We will be looking be ensure that each book we publish makes its mark and to that any title that […]
People, Etc.
Literary agent Wendy Lipkind passed away on May 9 from cancer at the age of 68. She founded the Wendy Lipkind Literary Agency in 1977, representing a diverse group of non-fiction writers including Ross Greene, Barry Sears, Cynthia Fuchs Epstein and Constance Hale. A private funeral will be held on Friday May 13, and donations in Wendy’s memory may be made to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids or The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation. She is survived by her husband, Hillel Black, and her son, Harry Black. Legacy.com guestbook Abby Levine will retire in June after 28 years of […]
People, Etc.
Stephanie Hargadon joins St. Martin’s as senior publicist on May 16. Previously she was associate publicist at Macmillan Audio/Macmillan Young Listeners. In editorial promotions at Simon & Schuster Children’s, Kiley Frank has been promoted to associate editor at Atheneum; Amy Currier is assistant managing editor; and Emily Fabre is assistant editor, Margaret K. McElderry Books. In the art department, Giuseppe Castellano is now art director for Little Simon; John Daly is associate art director for Simon Spotlight; Jessica Handelman is associate art director for Pulse and Aladdin; Lauren Rille is associate art director; Laura Roode is senior designer; and Nick Sciacca […]