Forthcoming Sam Shepard‘s final book, Spy of the First Person, will be published by Knopf on December 5. Completed shortly before his death from ALS in July, the book is a work of fiction about a man revisiting memories as he undergoes treatment for a medical condition. Shepard wrote the first drafts by hand, and then relied on a tape recorder and dictation. Knopf says that “his friend Patti Smith worked with him during the final months of his life, to edit and arrange the pieces into a final manuscript.” Bookselling The California legislature has passed new legislation that exempts bookstores from the recent […]
Bookstores
People, Etc.
Black Dog & Leventhal founder and publisher J.P. Leventhal will leave the company on December 31. The imprint becomes part of Running Press, reporting to vp and publisher Kristin Kiser, effective immediately. Hachette Book Group ceo Michael Pietsch says, “J.P. Leventhal has been a force in publishing, an original, and a splendid collaborator. His genius for bringing visual content into books in new ways has brought joy to millions of readers. It has been a pleasure having him and his team become part of HBG, and we look forward to his DNA living on in the imprint he created.” At […]
Sanders and Evashevski Leave UTA; Amicucci’s Barnes & Noble Settlement
UTA book department co-heads and partners Howie Sanders and Kassie Evashevski are leaving the agency and will join Anonymous Content as producer/managers, where they will establish a dedicated literary rights division. UTA co-president David Kramer says, “It goes without saying that we will miss Howie and Kassie as colleague. But more than anything, as friends we wish them all the success in the world as they enter this new chapter of their careers and transition to producer and manager roles.” He adds, “We look forward to collaborating with them and our friends at Anonymous Content for many years to come.” […]
For the Record: Amazon Has Over 40 Stores, In Addition to Amazon Books
We’ve covered the rollout of Amazon Books carefully, as recently as yesterday’s report on the 14th known bookstore location, planned for Austin, TX. (On that front, Amazon corrected and updated their job listing to indicate the new store is located at The Domain NORTHSIDE, a separate property adjacent to The Domain.) Also note that the likely bookstore No. 15 is the one in Washington, DC’s Georgetown, on M Street. where the company is also looking for a manager. They are also hiring a DC-based district manager. The Georgetown store was first reported on in the spring, and both of the new […]
Amazon Plans Fourteenth Books Store
Not officially announced yet, we can tell you that Amazon is moving into a new state with their fourteenth known bookstore location: On Friday, the company posted a job listing for a store manager (“Must love books and devices!”) in Austin, TX. The location is the new upscale Simon mall development The Domain, in Northwest Austin, being promoted as an alternative to downtown. (N.B: Amazon later corrected their listing to The Domain NORTHSIDE — which is an adjacent mall.) Amazon has expanding corporate offices in the area, which also includes a Whole Foods, and the research campus of the University […]
People, Etc.
At Open Road, Mary McAveney is being promoted to chief marketing officer and Daniel Shemesh has been promoted to chief financial officer. Katie O’Callaghan and Stephanie Cooper have both been promoted to director of marketing, working on titles across all of the Harper imprints (Harper hardcover, Harper Design, Amistad, and Broadside Books). At WaterBrook and Multnomah, Julia Wallace has been promoted to executive managing editor; Karen Sherry has been promoted to associate director of interiors; and Helen Macdonald has joined as production editor. Monica Odom has returned to Liza Dawson Associates as agent, bringing her clients with her from Bradford Literary Agency. Author most notably of the […]