Introducing the already-known pick on this morning’s show, Oprah Winfrey told her audience that author Jonathan Franzen had sent a galley to her with a note–and the Winfrey in turn asked Franzen’s permission to select the book for her club. “We have a little history,” she said. Perhaps most importantly, Winfrey said this is not her final book club pick. She promised to “continue to pick books all season long” and said that even after the Oprah Winfrey Show finishes its run at the end of this season, she will continue her book club on the Oprah Network.” Publisher Farrar, […]
Awards
People, Etc.
Packager Downtown Bookworks has started publishing a line of children’s books and has signed with Simon & Schuster for sales, warehousing and distribution, effective immediately. Downtown Bookworks expects to issue 24 kids books annually, with their launch titles on the way this month. Colin Shepherd has been promoted to assistant editor at Twelve, which he joined in April 2008. At Westview Press, Anthony Wahl has been promoted to associate editorial director. The PEN Pinter Prize is being given to novelist and playwright Hanif Kureishi, who “courageously and irreverently speaks the truth about life in our multicultural world, beyond any platitudes […]
People, Etc.: Rizzo, NBA Honors, FT Shortlist, Sam Herman and More
Little, Brown executive director of publicity Heather Rizzo will leave the company on December 1 to become publicity and marketing director for the house’s author Michael Connelly. The publisher is searching for a new publicity director. At Harper UK, David Roth-Ey has been promoted to group digital director and publisher, overseeing digital strategy and all digital initiatives. At the National Book Awards ceremony on November 17, the National Book Foundation will give Tom Wolfe their “lifetime achievement” award for distinguished contribution to American letters and Sesame Workshop co-founder Joan Ganz Cooney will get their award for service to the literary […]
Oprah-Stickered Copy of Franzen’s FREEDOM Photographed
Moby Lives posted this photo showing a copy of Jonathan Franzen’s new novel with an “Oprah’s Book Club: 2010 Selection” sticker on the jacket. Which is consistent with first Indigo and then Amazon.ca taking down their listings for the new Oprah selection’s ISBN after our story noting that FSG does not have rights to FREEDOM in Canada (Harper Canada does).For what it’s worth, Franzen is scheduled to appear at Book People in Austin, TX the evening of September 17 (the day Oprah makes her announcement.)
People, Etc.
St. Martin’s has announced a new short-story writing contest, to be judged by Jeffrey Archer. The winner will be offered a publishing contract, with the story of 5,000 words or less issued as an ebook.Jeffrey Archer Presents Candlewick Press is partnering on a TOON Books imprint in October. They will takeover TOON’s eleven-title backlist and aim to publish four to five new books a year starting next spring. TOON was launched in 2008 TOON Books by New Yorker art editor and RAW publisher Françoise Mouly. Flat World Knowledge his hired David Littlehale for the new position of vp of institutional […]
Carey and Levy Lead Booker Shortlist
The Booker Prize is down to six shortlisted titles, and the winner will be named October 12. In the meantime, US rights to Howard Jacobson’s book have been picked up Bloomsbury USA, which will publish on September 23. Until then, the UK “export edition” ebook is available here from Amazon only.: Peter Carey, Parrot and Olivier in America (Faber and Faber)Emma Donoghue, Room (Picador)Damon Galgut, In a Strange Room (Atlantic Books)Howard Jacobson, The Finkler Question (Bloomsbury)Andrea Levy, The Long Song (Headline Review)Tom McCarthy, C (Jonathan Cape) In other awards, China Miéville’s The City & The City and Paolo Bacigalupi’s The […]