The New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers has named its new class of fourteen fellows. The list includes fiction writers David Bezmozgis, Maile Chapman, Mary Gaitskill, and Wells Tower; poet Geoffrey Brock; New Yorker staff writer Larissa MacFarquhar; graphic novelist and artist David Sandlin; and Pulitzer-winning author Annette Gordon-Reed. Jo Ann Miller, former editorial director of Basic Books, has formed J.A. Miller Associates to provide ghost writing, editorial collaboration, developmental editing, and author coaching. At Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Maire Gorman has been promoted to the new position of vp of trade sales […]
eNews
Hachette Says There May Be "Short-Term Interruption" In eBook Availability
Hachette Book Group ceo David Young wrote to authors and agents with a short update on their April 1 transition to an agency model: “We are pleased to let you know that we have made arrangements with most of our eBook distributors to operate under this model. However, as with any transition, we expect there will be a few hiccups along the way, and you may even see some short-term interruption in the availability of our eBooks, especially in the first few days, as systems are being adapted to accommodate changes. We fully expect any such issues to be resolved […]
Ready or Not, Here It Comes
There are a lot of crossed fingers, late hours, furrowed brows and open questions as at least part of the publishing business prepares for an April 1 to April 3 switchover to the agency model for ebooks. (Yes, even the day of change is unclear, since some of the Agency Five–now an accepted term of art–are switching models tomorrow while others are reportedly not doing so until Saturday, April 3.) Among the latest supply chain players to communicate with accounts is Overdrive, which powers a number of ebook retailers. Company ceo Steve Potash tells us they “are adapting as best […]
Agency Model Means Ingram Can't Wholesale eBooks Until New Agreements Are In Place
Another implication of the new agency model for selling ebooks hit home yesterday as Ingram Digital sent a letter from general manager Andrew Weinstein to approximately 65 retailers the company serves. He alerted them to “the very real possibility that Ingram will have to discontinue the availability of ebook titles from all publishers wishing to do business under an agency model…on or before April 1.” He indicated that “the publishers opting to do business in an agency model have left us little choice,” adding that “it has become clear that not only will Ingram need to agree to do business […]
A Preview of Apple's Bestseller Pricing?, and more eNews
AppAdvice blogger Alexander Vaughn purportedly got a look at “a not-so-NDA-complying preview” of the iBookstore in which 27 of the top 32 selling books – and all of the top 10 books – are priced at $9.99. The highest priced book, Jackie Collins’ Poor Little Bitch Girl (St. Martin’s), is priced at $12.99, which is in keeping with CEO John Sargent’s prior comments about how Macmillan titles will be priced.AppAdvice In other e-news, Skiff CEO Gil Fuchsberg announced during a session at CTIA that Random House and S&S are among the content partners for Hearst’s e-reading platform.moconews.net Rich Futures’ Clive […]
Random House Stays Off iPad, For Now; Kobo Launches Dedicated e-Reader; and More eNews
Random House remains the most conspicuously absent publisher from the iPad, and ceo Markus Dohle indicates to the FT he “did not exclude the possibility of reaching a deal” before April 3, though it remains unlikely. Dohle said Apple’s proposition means “changes, in particular for our stakeholders,” indicating that further discussions with authors and agents are needed. In restating the obvious, they write he is “treading carefully, as Apple’s pricing regime could erode established publishing practices.” Which is the whole point. In early February, Random House president Madeline McIntosh told booksellers about a series of concerns that publishers “have no […]