Journalist Linden MacIntyre was the surprise winner of Canada’s Giller Prize last night for his novel THE BISHOP’S MAN–the second in a planned trilogy–about corruption in the Catholic Church. Random House Canada controls world rights, and as best we could determine this morning US rights have not been sold yet (though that will likely change soon). Ron Eckel is still handling rights through Random House Canada (in advance of their announced rights sales outsourcing deal). MacIntyre’s primary agents are Don Sedgwick and Shaun Bradley at Transatlantic Literary Agency. The Asian American Literary Award in fiction has gone to Jhumpa Lahiri […]
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Gene Brissie is re-joining James Peter Associates, a literary agency founded in 1971, as president. Gene was most recently Associate Publisher of The Lyons Press. JPA represents authors in nearly all nonfiction categories, including business, finance, reference, health, sports, self-help, history, biography, current events, public policy, and more. Sophia Seidner has left Wiley after three years as an international rights manager. She will continue as a satellite literary agent with Judith Ehrlich Literary Management. She is looking for literary fiction and nonfiction including self-help, narrative nonfiction and memoir with special interest in current events, business and health and science-related topics. […]
People and Authors
Stephenie Meyer will make a rare promotional appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show this Friday. She blogs on why she is “making an exception” from “doing the hermit thing”: “I am so pleased and amazed and thrilled with what Chris Weitz has done with New Moon that I want to talk about it, and to show my support for him.”Meyer blog Gwendolyn Heasley will join Artisans and Artisans as an agent, focusing on young adult. Her own debut YA novel, Confessions of a Teenage Recessionista, was sold to Harper Collins in a two-book deal in July. Vook has hired Peggy […]
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Thomas P. Burke has joined Scholastic as svp, e-commerce, responsible for the operation’s strategic direction and growth, reporting to evp and president of Scholastic Book Clubs and E-Commerce Judy Newman. Burke has been at BN.com for the past five years, overseeing merchandising, online marketing, customer experience, design and editorial content. Philip Gourevitch is leaving the Paris Review–where he has been editor for the past five years–in April, to focus full-time on writing. He says “It has been a great honor — and great fun — to have relaunched this wonderful magazine.” The Sydney Morning Herald has a long profile on […]
Bookselling: Two Schwartz Successors Concerned About Third
Another Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop alum is opening a new store, Open Book run by Lisa Zupke–this time billed as a cooperative, supported by a $35,000 low-interest municipal loan, and located within miles of two other Schwartz successors, Daniel Goldin’s Boswell Book Company and Lanora Hurley’s Next Chapter Bookshop. “They’re definitely targeting my customers,” Goldin tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Hurley adds, “I’m just concerned that splitting the pie three ways will take all three of us out.” Open Book is selling memberships ranging from $50 to $500, and soliciting loans from wealthy individuals.MJS
Borders to Slash Another 200 Walden Outlets in January
With competitor Barnes & Noble preparing to close all but the last two of their B. Dalton mall stores by January, Borders announced after yesterday that they will close approximately 200 of the remaining mall-based Waldenbooks outlets in January. The move will leave Borders with about 130 mall-based locations remaining. The company estimates that 1,500 jobs–mostly part-time–will be eliminated as a result. CEO Ron Marshall says, “We believe there remains an opportunity to profitably operate a much smaller Waldenbooks segment that complements our core Borders superstore business and continues to serve readers in their communities. Through this right-sizing, we will […]