After renewed controversy around prosector-turned-mystery novelist Linda Fairstein following the release of a Netflix series about the Central Park Five, When They See Us, her longtime publisher Dutton said Friday the two parties “decided to terminate their relationship.” A “person with knowledge of the situation” tells the NYT that Dutton is buying out her contract. It’s unclear what, if anything, is happening with Fairstein’s 14-title backlist at Dutton, and the publisher declines to explain what their brief statement actually mens. Her first five books were published by Scribner. Former ceo of Hachette UK Tim Hely Hutchinson was awarded a CBE […]
Legal
AAP: Nadler Talks Tough On Tech Antitrust, and Judiciary Opens Investigation
Chair of the House Judiciary Committee Representative Jerry Nadler appeared at the Association of American Publishers’ annual meeting on Wednesday to accept their annual distinguished public service award. Nadler’s brief remarks came ahead of the announcement at the end of the day of the committee’s broad “bipartisan investigation into competition in digital markets.” The committee says it will focus on “documenting competition problems in digital markets,” “examining whether dominant firms are engaging in anti-competitive conduct,” and “assessing whether existing antitrust laws, competition policies, and current enforcement levels are adequate to address these issues.” They promise “a top-to-bottom review of the […]
Judge Makes Several Key Rulings in Parneros v. Barnes & Noble
Judge John G. Koeltl decided Monday on several matters concerning former Barnes & Noble ceo Demos Parneros’ lawsuit against the bookseller. First, Judge Koeltl denied Parneros’ motion to dismiss B&N’s second counterclaim, which alleges that Parneros acted as a faithless servant by “sabotaging” a potential sale and therefore is liable for compensation. Parneros had asked for Barnes & Noble to start paying fees used to defend himself against those counterclaims — and here the judge ruled in his favor, awarding him advancement of 50 percent of those fees so far. Koeltl said BN’s argument that the alleged sexual harassment and […]
AAP Voices Support for Copyright Small-Claims Alternatives
The Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act was re-introduced in the House of Representatives on Wednesday by sponsor Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and a bipartisan group of representatives. “We hope that the House and Senate Judiciary Committees will swiftly take up this important legislation,” the Association of American Publishers said in a release expressing support. This represents a second chance in the new Congress for a bill that was first introduced in October 2017 and never made it out of the Judiciary committee after hearings last September. The bill aims to make it easier for independent creators to fight copyright infringement […]
People, Etc.
Craig Popelars is joining Tin House Books as publisher, starting June 1. He was previously associate publisher at Algonquin Books. Win McCormack, current publisher and owner of Tin House Books, says, “Craig Popelars is a powerhouse in the field. He has exactly the kind of vision, energy, and experience needed to take Tin House Books to the next level.” At Penguin Random House Canada, Robert Wheaton expands his role to include strategy, becoming chief strategy and operations officer. He continues to report to ceo Kristin Cochrane. Charidy Johnston moves up to vp, sales, continuing to report to Wheaton. She takes […]
May 16 Deadline Set for Bids to Buy F+W Books
F+W Media’s bankruptcy proceedings this week included a milestone of note: The bid schedules for the sale of F+W Media’s Books and Communities business lines were approved by the court. For Books, the deadline to submit a bid is May 16; if an auction is required, it will be held the morning of May 20 at the offices of F+W’s counsel in Delaware. As previously reported, Greg Miller and Brian Sargenti at Greenhill are overseeing that sale. The process for sale of the Communities business line kicks off two weeks later: Bids are due May 28; an auction, if needed, […]