The way the holidays fall, the big fifth-annual Digital Book World happens in the second full work week of January, from the 13th through the 15th. It will be our biggest show yet in all respects — more attendees, more exhibitors, more tracks, more headliners, and more parallel events (including the return of our own one-day Launch Kids event focused on children’s publishing) than ever before. Avoid higher on-site pricing by registering now — and remember that Publishers Lunch readers always get the best discount available on individual conference and value-packed “total access pass” tickets, since we are a co-founder and co-presenter of DBW: […]
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People: Ned Vizzini, 32, Dies
Author Ned Vizzini, 32, committed suicide Thursday evening in Brooklyn, the borough medical examiner’s office confirmed to us (as well as to the LAT.) Vizzini wrote the young adult novels IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY, turned into the 2010 film of the same name, THE OTHER NORMALS and BE MORE CHILL, as well as the middle-grade novel HOUSE OF SECRETS (co-written with director Chris Columbus), with a sequel set to be published by Balzer + Bray on March 25. Vizzini also worked as a TV writer on shows including “Teen Wolf” and “The Last Resort.” He is survived by […]
People: Janson-Smith to Retire
Patrick Janson-Smith will retire in fall 2014 when he turns 65, after his fortieth consecutive Frankfurt Book Fair. He is currently publisher of the boutique imprint Blue Door at Harper UK, which he founded in 2008. The line will close after his retirement. He says: “The industry has changed so much in the past few years. The whole industry is in a bit of a mess at the moment, but it can only get better. I think Stephen Page said, if you can’t understand it, get out. I think that’s good advice, which I intend to follow. I’m a book man, and I […]
People, Etc.: Smashwords and Scribd, Duck Commander “On Hiatus” for Anti-Gay Comments
Smashwords‘ catalog of over 225,000 ebooks will be incorporated into Scribd.com‘s ebook subscription service. As part of the deal, the roughly 70,000 Smashwords’ authors and publishers will receive a free one-year subscription to Scribd’s service. Also, Oyster will include “select titles” from the Perseus Book Group in their subscription service. One of the 2013’s unlikely stars, Phil Robertson of the Duck Dynasty, will be “on hiatus” in the year to come. Following his anti-gay remarks in a GQ interview, the A&E network “has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely.” Robertson tried to ameliorate the situation with a formal statement, […]
Sales Rise At Scholastic, But Earnings Fall On Two Charges
Sales inched up at Scholastic in their fiscal second quarter, ending November 30, rising $9.7 million to $623 million. But operating income of $94.7 million was down 7 percent as the company wrote down $13.4 million on “legacy acquisitions” in the children’s publishing and distribution segment and took a $5.5 million one-time charge for “cost reduction and restructuring programs” as well. At the same time, Scholastic said it will exercise an option to purchase their headquarters building in Soho for $255 million before the end of the year. They say it “should provide a number of benefits, including enhanced free […]
People
Another executive will depart Penguin shortly. EVP of business operations Doug Whiteman will leave the company as of January 3 to become chief administrative officer of Acelero Learning, an early childhood education company focused on improving the delivery of Head Start services locally. Penguin Random House’s Madeline McIntosh wrote in a memo, “As much as we are all sorry to see him leave after thirty great years of outstanding contributions and service, this move will not come as a surprise to the friends and colleagues who know of Doug’s longstanding philanthropic contributions.” Leslie Stoker will be leaving Abrams, where she is […]