The publisher has announced details about their closely-guarded book set for release on May 20, THE LINK, written by biologist Colin Tudge. It focuses on what they call “the astonishing new discovery that could change everything”–a previously-secret, perfectly fossilized early primate, “older than the previously most famous primate fossil, Lucy, by an astonishing forty-four million years,” held in a vault “deep within the heart of one of the world’s leading natural history museums.” Called Ida, they say this fossil “rewrites what we’ve assumed about the earliest primate origins” and the book offers “exclusive access to the ï¬rst scientists to study […]
Free
Scribd Launches Paid Model
Having built a large audience for free documents, Scribd.com launches their beta Scribd store today with a model for paid written content that gives rightsholders 80 percent of the revenue. Scribd also lets rightsholders set the prices for their content, with current offerings ranging from $1 up to $5,000 (for market research report on China). Among participating publishers noted in the release are Lonely Planet, Berrett-Koehler and O’Reilly. The store is currently available only in the US though the company promises “international launches to follow.” They will add an iPhone app shortly. Since Scribd displays documents of all lengths, the […]
People and Awards
Former svp and executive director of publicity and public relations at the Bantam Dell Publishing Group Barb Burg has launched a new company, barb burg ink, offering publicity, public relations, media training, media placement, publishing strategy and brand management services. Endeavor agents Kirby Kim and Rebecca Oliver and subrights manager Laura Bonner will join the merged WME Entertainment, according to the Observer. Australian author Christos Tsiolkas won the overall Commonwealth Writers’ Award for best book for THE SLAP, “about middle-class suburban Australia and its notions of child-rearing and acceptable behavior.” Pakistani author Mohammed Hanif won the best first book award […]
BN Finally Launches a Competitor to Audible
Barnes & Noble.com has launched an online mp3 audiobook, offering over 10,000 titles at an “average price” of $10 to $20 per download. A launch promotion offers nine free titles, including: The Babysitter’s Code by Laura Lippman, Great Day by Kurt Vonnegut, Super Goat Man by Jonathan Lethem, Best New Horror by Joe Hill, Fathers by Alice Munro, Truth or Dare by Elizabeth Berg, Ysrael by Junot Diaz, and Merrano of the Dry Country by Louis L’Amore. EVP of e-commerce Tom Burke calls it “a natural progression in our commitment to book lovers and audiobook fans.” Overdrive is maintaining and […]
Proposals: Boyle On, Brangelina Bodyguard Off
Crain’s reports that Richard Pine at Inkwell Management in the US and Mark Lucas to Lucas Alexander Whitley in the UK are auctioning a book by amateur singing sensation Susan Boyle. (The agents did not respond to queries from Crain’s.)Crains (if you click through from Google News you won’t get stopped at the reg wall) Celebrity bodyguard Mickey Brett’s book proposal about a variety of famous clients, including Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, makes its way to the NY Daily News, though the book itself will not find its way to store shelves. After legal threats to block any publication, […]
LAT Festival: Prizes, and Wind Damage
The Los Angeles Times kicked off their weekend festival of books with the naming of their annual book prize winners, which included: Fiction: Marilynne Robinson, HOMEFirst Fiction: Zoe Ferraris, FINDING NOUFYoung Adult: Terry Pratchett, NATIONCurrent Interest: Barton Gellman, ANGLER: The Cheney Vice Presidency Though this year’s awards presentation was downsized to the newspaper’s offices and not open to the public, LA Observed says “LAT publisher Eddy Hartenstein pledged publicly that the Times Book Prizes would continue next year, and at least some judges were already asked to return.” On Saturday afternoon, heavy winds knocked down a scaffolding on the UCLA […]