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$2 Million More in Grants for The Big Read The National Endowment of the Arts announced that 208 libraries, muncipalities and other organizations devoted to arts, science and culture in 46 states have been awarded more than $2 million in grants to host Big Read Celebrations between September 2008 and June 2009. The Big Read also launches in Mexico this fall with the anthology SUN, STONE AND SHADOWS: 20 GREAT MEXICAN SHORT STORIES. NEA Release Oprah Speaks, Gives Away Books at Graduation Ceremony At Stanford University’s commencement address on Sunday, Oprah Winfrey advised the nearly 4,700 graduates to trust their […]

From the Substitute Chef Greetings, Lunch Deluxe subscribers. I’m Sarah Weinman, freelance writer, publishing wonk, and entrusted by the management to keep the kitchen in order and the helpings plentiful throughout the week. To do that, I’ll need your help, as my own news-gathering system may not pick up everything that merits inclusion. So please send on announcements, tips, suggestions and comments either to info@publishersmarketplace.com or to a dedicated email address I’ve set up for the week at marketplacetips@gmail.com. Book Clubs, the Progressive Way As Bertelsmann looks to sell off its book club arm, a new group plans to enter […]

Please Note For the next week I will be in the land of far far away, completely unplugged from the grid for the first time, well, ever. Fresh, organic meals will still be served daily thanks to the capable skills of Sarah Weinman, and the PublishersMarketplace team will continue as usual with all the deals, jobs and daily data. If you have any announcements, news or personnel bulletins, please help out by ensuring that your news is directed to info@publishersmarketplace.com only (rather than my personal address or any other PM address); otherwise, your news might get overlooked. Thanks. And if […]

Hage Takes IMPAC Lebanese-born Rawi Hage (now living in Canada) won the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for DE NIRO’S GAME, originally published by Canada’s House of Anansi Press. (Steerforth published the hardcover in the US, with the trade paperback scheduled from Harper for August.) BN Pulls Disney Charms Said to Have Lead A US health advocacy group says that a few Disney-licensed charm bracelet sets and charms for children tested as having what they say are prohibited levels of lead. The charm bracelets were purchased at a Barnes & Noble. Chain spokesperson Mary Ellen Keating says “we have already pulled […]

First-Round Borders Bids Were Called for This Week dealReporter says via the Financial Times that “first-round bids for Borders were due on Monday, 9 June, two people familiar with the process” said. One of those two sources added that “Barnes & Noble is conducting due diligence, but is far from establishing whether it will competitively bid for its largest retailer rival.” They note that “Borders is continuing its strategic review, which a third person familiar claimed had originally received 30 inbound expressions of interest.” Plus, “publishers are unlikely to greet a merger of the two largest retailers in the industry […]

Amazon Down Again A company that monitors web performance, Keynote, reported that Amazon’s site “suffered sporadic outages” again yesterday lasting for at least an hour. The company says “probes also found problems with the British Amazon.co.uk site, but other country-specific sites appeared to be functioning,  Keynote’s automated probes were able to reach the main Amazon.com site as little as 30 percent of the time. Even when the monitors did reach the site, they faced delays.” The Register cites “speculation that it was under a denial of service attack.” They note that “Friday’s outage coincided with a sustained attack on the […]