Tracy K. Smith was named Poet Laureate for 2017-2018, starting her role in September. Smith is the author three collections, including Life on Mars, which won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. The first laureate appointed by new Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, Smith is interested in using the position to reach a broad audience. Hayden said: “The fact that Tracy wants to go into rural areas and talk about poetry is such a great idea and something that really excited me because I think that’s the kind of thing we should be doing as an institution.” Smith succeeds Juan Felipe Herrera. […]
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At Abrams, Alexandra Calamela has joined as publicist for adult trade (previously she was publishing coordinator for Macmillan Audio). Hallie Patterson has joined as associate director of publicity for children trade (previously she was publicity and marketing manager for Hachette Book Group). Nicole Schaefer has been promoted to children’s marketing associate, while Gretta Hehre moves up to sales coordinator and will handle Scholastic Book Club accounts. Rachel Brooks has joined Book Ends Literary as agent, moving her client list with her. Previously she was at the L. Perkins Agency. At this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, Margaret Atwood will receive the German Book […]
Briefs: Glasgow’s Freight Books To Sell, and More
Glasgow publisher Freight Books is up for sale, with the owners saying potential buyers have come forward and a listing running inviting others to bid. Co-founder Adrian Searle left the company suddenly in April, citing “differences over strategic direction” and calling the publisher’s future into question. Interim managing editor Robbie Guillory informed authors of plans to explore other opportunities by posting a notice on the Publishing Scotland website, but said that in the meantime “we continue as normal, and I’ll certainly not be stepping back from my efforts at marketing, selling and producing.” Bookselling Miami’s Bookstore in the Grove will close June […]
ABA Celebrates Positive Trends, Improving Backlist Terms
ABA ceo Oren Teicher addressed the organization’s members at their annual meeting on Thursday afternoon, held as part of Book Expo, as usual framed optimistically but with some cautionary notes in the midst of “a retail landscape that is, to say the least, turbulent.” In addition to the membership numbers reported earlier this week, which ended seven years of growth in ABA members but saw more total member locations, Teicher noted that 87 new ABA member bookstores in 2016, and 15 member stores were purchased by new owners. “For many years,” he noted, “this sort of successful succession of the business was not […]
ABA Growth Streak Ends
Ahead of their annual meeting at Book Expo, as usual the American Booksellers Association has provided the AP with their updated membership count. After seven years of growth — starting from a low point of 1,410 members in 2008 — total ABA core membership declined by 18 in the year through May 2017, to 1,757 members. With continuing members opening additional stores, ABA member locations rose by 10, to 2,321. The organization added that “provisional members” — those intending to open a store — rose to 141, from 103 a year ago. ABA ceo Oren Teicher tells the AP, “We’re pleased that […]
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Divya Sawhney has been promoted to vice president for strategy and corporate development at Penguin Random House. Picks The Costco Pennie’s Pick for June is Before The Fall by Noah Hawley. Obituaries Sportswriter Frank Deford, 78, died on Sunday.The author of 20 books, he was a longtime contributor to NPR. Brian Doyle, 60, died on Saturday. He was the author of Mink River and Martin Marten, among others, and editor of Portland Magazine. Bookselling Politics and Prose in Washington DC will open a new location in the Union Market district. Additionally, it will be “phasing out its involvement” with two store locations within Busboys and […]