As Andrew Wylie prepares to take over the Roberto Bolano estate and sell newly “discovered” works (per the story we cited earlier), the Observer visits with New Directions editor-in-chief Barbara Epler, who first published Bolano in the US. She originally acquired BY NIGHT IN CHILE from Christopher MacLehose at Harvill Press, along with two other books–and then went on to acquire rights to all but the “major” works, Savage Detectives and the forthcoming 2666 from agent Carmen Balcells. In all New Directions controls “seven short novels, two books of short stories, an essay collection and a volume of poetry called […]
International News
Walesa Autobiography Rejects Agent Charge
In his just released autobiography, former Polish president Lech Walesa vigorously denies charges that he collaborated with the country’s secret policy for two years and informed on shipyard workers. “I want everything to be known, precisely,” Walesa writes. The AP says that, “In the book, he writes that, following his arrest in December 1970, authorities offered to release him from prison if he signed some documents. ‘I did not think long. I did not even read them,’ Walesa writes. ‘I signed a number of papers on leaving the arrest, which was a standard procedure. … I remember there were many […]
Update on Efforts to Unlock Borders UK's Financing
The Independent says “Borders UK is still trying to extricate itself from the fall out from the troubles of Landsbanki, the nationalized Icelandic bank” after “last Friday, a number of companies, particularly retailers, found they could not withdraw money from their Landsbanki accounts.” Chairman of the private equity firm that owns the bookseller Luke Johnson says that “We are never more than £3m to £4m drawn on our [continuing] credit facility” but “declined to comment on the other questions put to him.” Additionally, “Euler Hermes is understood to have scaled back its insurance cover for Borders UK in the summer, […]
International News: Sony Goes to Germany; Bloomsbury Goes to Qatar; Amazon Supports Translation; and More
Sony has confirmed that they will release their ebook Reader in Germany next Spring, working in partnership with bookseller Thalia for selling the devices and wholesaler Libri for selling and serving the ebook files. Libri is hoping to have “thousands” of titles available for the launch. Bloomsbury is partnering with the Qatar Foundation to create a new publisher house for English and Arabic books in the Middle East. Called Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing and based in Doha, it will publishing general fiction and non-fiction for both adults and for children, but also educational books for schools, academic books for universities […]
CBS Stock Price Plummets on Charge and Sell-Off; Border UK in Loan Trouble?
CBS issued revised guidance to investors on Friday afternoon, forecasting “a decline of mid-teens” in operating income for fiscal 2008 compared to a year ago. They also said they expect to take a $14 billion impairment charge in the third quarter “to reduce the carrying value of goodwill, intangible assets related to FCC licenses and investments.” Earlier in the day, Sumner Redstone’s National Amusements announced that it will sell $400 million in equal amounts of Viacom and CBS shares in order reduce debt and comply with their credit agreements. The proceeds will bring the company’s debt load down to $1.2 […]
People
Critical Mass says that NYT Book Review senior editor Dwight Garner has had enough and “tells us he’s leaving the Book Review very soon to become a book critic for the daily edition” of the newspaper. Jordan Brown will join the Harper Children’s imprint Walden Pond Press later this month, reporting to Brenda Bowen. He was an assistant editor at Ginee Seo Books/Atheneum. Brown will work with Debbie Kovacs at Walden Media to “craft a launch list for the imprint and to acquire and edit some eight books a year,” while acquiring and editing for Bowen Press as well. In […]