As the tipsters suggested when we first published ahead of the official release, the Booker Prize longlist all but entirely spurns work by Americans for the first time since they started accepting nominations from beyond the Commonwealth in 2014. One candidate, Lucy Ellmann, is American-born, though she has lived in the UK since she was a teenager, now residing in Scotland, and is classified as Anglo-American. She’s in contention for Ducks, Newburyport, a 1,000-page monologue composed almost entirely of a single sentence. (It was published in the UK by Galley Beggar Press; the US edition is forthcoming from Biblioasis.) Up […]
Awards
Forthcoming Booker Longlist Said to Shut Out Americans For the First Time Since Rule Change
Since the Booker Prize first started accepting nominations from beyond the Commonwealth in 2014, American authors have claimed a healthy portion of the annual longlist: Four slots in 2014, five in 2015 and 2016 (when Paul Beatty became the first American to win the prize); four in 2017; and 3 in 2018. When Crankstart took over from The Man Group as the prize sponsor earlier this year, there was renewed hope from the UK that they would get their prize back and not have to face competition from the US, though the Booker Foundation indicated there would be no changes. […]
People, Etc.
Kendra Levin will join Simon & Schuster Children’s as editorial director on September 1. She was most recently an editorial director at Penguin Children’s. Heidi Sachner has left her position as vp of books at F+W Media. Sachner will be working with the Penguin Publishing Group on a consulting basis to assist with the integration through the end of the year and can be reached at hsachner@optonline.net. Filipe Silva has joined Macmillan as international sales manager, reporting Devin Luna, vp, international sales & marketing. Silva will be responsible for sales in Macmillan’s open market territories, with direct sales responsibilities for […]
People, Etc.
Harlequin announced that it is realigning under two new divisions: the Harlequin Trade Publishing Group, which will be responsible for all trade publishing activities, and Harlequin Brand Group, which combines their series publishing, Carina Press and brand development. Loriana Sacilotto serves as evp, publisher of Harlequin Trade and will lead strategic publishing, editorial, marketing and publicity for all Harlequin Trade imprints. Reporting to Sacilotto are Margaret Marbury, vp editorial who will focus on adult imprints; Heather Connor, vp publicity & trade communications; Bess Braswell, publishing director at Inkyard Press; and a new associate publisher, adult imprints, for which they are […]
People, Etc.
Matthew Benjamin has joined Harmony and Rodale Books as executive editor, reporting to Diana Baroni. He was most recently at Atria. Christopher Sergio will join Holt as vp, group creative director, starting August 19 and reporting to Ben Shrank. He was previously vp art director at Penguin Random House. He will oversee the creative product at both Holt and Metropolitan. Nick Stewart joins Grove Atlantic as digital marketing manager. Previously he was marketing manager at Penguin Random House. Jamil Zaidi joins Chronicle Books as trade sales representative, Pacific Northwest. Previously he was the Pacific Northwest representative for Chickman Associates. Emily […]
August Picks: Indie Next, Library Reads
The ABA named Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys its No. 1 pick for August, though it publishes tomorrow. Also on the list are J. Ryan Stradal’s The Lager Queen of Minnesota (publishing next week) and Kira Jane Buxton’s Hollow Kingdom, both excerpted and available for download in our Buzz Books 2019 Spring/Summer sampler. The rest of the list: Never Have I Ever, by Joshilyn Jackson Things You Save in a Fire, by Katherine Center Turbulence, by David Szalay The Turn of the Key, by Ruth Ware The Wedding Party, by Jasmine Guillory Inland, by Téa Obreht Chances Are…, by Richard […]