The Frankfurt Book Fair said that trade attendance decline 1.6 percent–while total visitors including the German public rose slightly, by 0.6 percent. FBF said in their release that “the fact that the number of visitors declined only marginally during the trade visitors’ days reflects the fact that the industry remains optimistic and is well equipped to face its challenges.” As previously announced, major ebook retailers started notifying qualifying customers by email that they will be entitled to unspecified store credits as part of the settlement of the suit by state attorneys general and the three Settlers. Amazon’s mail landed first, […]
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Authors Guild Criticizes Hathi Trust Ruling; Will “Announce Our Next Steps Shortly”
The Authors Guild has responded to the court verdict regarding the Hathi Trust earlier this week, saying in a site post that “we disagree with nearly every aspect of the court’s ruling. We’re especially disappointed that the court refused to address the universities’ ‘orphan works’ program, which defendants have repeatedly promised to revive.” Executive director Paul Aiken writes of his concern that “the temptation to find reasons to release these digitized books clearly remains strong, and the university has consistently pledged to reinstate the orphan works program. The court’s decision leaves authors around the world at risk of having their […]
People, Etc.: Random Plans “Open House”
Dan Ambrosio has joined Da Capo Books as a senior editor. He was at Wiley for the last four years, and has worked at Vigliano Associates and Warner Books. Deborah Ritchken has joined the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, working primarily in the areas of food, design and entertaining; pop culture; women’s issues; biography; and current events. She was with The Castiglia Agency. Random House is inviting the public to buy tickets (at $25 each, including breakfast and lunch) to an “open house” at their headquarters building in New York on November 2. The full-day event promises “access to upcoming titles before they’re […]
New Sylvia Day eBook Sells 286k Copies In First Week
Sylvia Day’s REFLECTED IN YOU, the follow-up to her bestselling BARED TO YOU, sold 286,000 ebooks in the US in the first week on sale, Berkley reported. It sells for $9.99. The publisher says the trade paperback, which does not go on sale until October 23, will have a 630,000-copy printing.
People: Mo Yan Wins Nobel
The Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded Thursday morning to Chinese writer Mo Yan, with the citation praising him for his “hallucinatory realism” that “merges folk tales, history and the contemporary.” Mo, a pseudonym for Guan Moye, is one of China’s best-selling (and most pirated) authors in the country, and his work, according to the Swedish Academy, “created a world reminiscent in its complexity of those in the writings of William Faulkner and Gabriel García Márquez, at the same time finding a departure point in old Chinese literature and in oral tradition.” Mo was said to be “overjoyed and terrified” […]
Harper Formalizes Wave Imprint Under Rinaldi
HarperCollins, which hired Karen Rinaldi in March to start a new health and wellness line, has now named that imprint Harper Wave. Called a general health, wellness and lifestyle line, the company says they have been targeting “the best thinking from top personalities, experts, doctors and journalists.” Executive editor Julie Will is also working on the list. The imprint will launch in the marketplace in April 2013 with television personality and dating expert Matthew Hussey’s GET THE GUY, and the fall list will include their Cameron Diaz book. Harper adds that “Rinaldi and team are working closely with authors to develop their […]