At Penguin, Molly Barton has been promoted to vp, digital publishing and business development and strategy. Earlier this year she was responsible for launching the writing community website Book Country and was also responsible for developing Penguin eSpecials, expanding the publisher’s relationship with Starz, and spearheading Penguin’s enhanced ebook app program. Meagan Stacey has joined Crown as editor, trade paperbacks, reporting to Tina Pohlman. Previously she was an editor at Mariner Books. Project Gutenberg founder Michael S. Hart died September 6 at his home in Urbana, IL. He was 64 and the cause of death was not disclosed. He is […]
eNews
Ruckus Forms Imprint with Scholastic
Children’s app and interactive storybook developer Ruckus Media Group is creating a transmedia imprint in collaboration with children’s giant Scholastic, called Scholastic Ruckus. From a service standpoint it looks a bit like a distribution agreement–Ruckus remains fully independent, and Scholastic will handle print, ebook and enhnanced ebook publishing and distribution for intellectual property controlled by Ruckus (and Ruckus will continue to produce and sell children’s apps). But the relationship also allows for more comprehensive joint development and exploitation across all of Scholastic’s sales and marketing channels, with input from Scholastic’s creative and executive teams. Part of “what makes it an […]
Constellation Pairs With Faber Factory In UK Joint Venture
The UK’s Faber and Faber has joined with the Perseus Books Group’s Constellation to form a UK joint venture focused on digital distribution for independent publishers. The new entity combines Faber’s e-distribution initiative Faber Factory–with 70 client publishers–with Constellation’s platform, to form Faber Factory Powered By Constellation. Faber ceo Stephen Page says in the announcement, “Faber Factory was conceived as an ambitious response to the enormous and liberating opportunity for independent publishers in the digital age. The power of Faber partnering with Perseus makes this ambition immediately achievable, globally and long term as together we can offer market-leading tools, service […]
Briefs: JK Rowling Anthology Intro; USA Today Fall Books Preview; and More
JK Rowling will write the foreword to Dear Me: A Letter to My Sixteen-Year-Old Self, edited by Joseph Galliano (Atria) which will be released on October 25. In the foreword Rowling writes that she was touched by the letters’ “commonality … Nearly everyone who wrote, whether their letter is jolly or poignant, seems to have looked back on their younger selves with compassion.” A portion of the book’s proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders. USA Today Speaking of USA Today, their Fall Books Preview highlights 31 titles, with special emphasis on upcoming, much-covered titles by Susan Orlean, Colson […]
Sony’s First Potter Offer Is Mild; Reader Store Will Expand Internationally
Sony has finally announced the newest iteration in their never-in-the-lead ereader line. Of more interest is the “first offer” in their collaboration with JK Rowling’s Pottermore. It’s not the blockbuster exclusive that has been rumored, but rather a voucher that lets Sony Reader purchasers get a free download of the first Harry Potter book from Pottermore. In the announcement, Sony indicates that their Reader estore will finally expand, “coming first to the UK, Germany and Australia in 2011.” The biggest claim for the new model of their ereader, finally a mainstream wi-fi model coming in October, is that it will […]
eNews: Piracy Monitoring/Takedown Program For Authors & Agents; Personalized eBook Apps for Kids; and More
The Curtis Agency and E-Reads are launching a piracy monitoring and takedown program through a system developed by Muso TNT, in which authors “authorize the antipiracy service to launch search engine ‘spiders’ to crawl over the Internet and detect unauthorized files.” Once files are discovered and stored in a password-protected area, authors and agents can then authorize Muso to send batch DMCA takedown notices. EReads Founders of e-card service JibJab are entering the children’s ebook market through a new personalized iPad app line for kids called JibJab Jr. A one-book-a-month subscription to the JibJab Jr. line will cost $3.99 a […]