LitHub.com, the literary web site backed by Grove/Atlantic that is scheduled to debut on April 8, pulls back the curtain a little bit ahead of time, with an article in the WSJ and a press release. (The pre-announcement is apparently because of a “sneak peek” session they will convene on Monday at the ABA’s Winter Institute.) Founding editor of L Magazine Jonny Diamond is editor-in-chief, with John Freeman as executive editor. Electric Literature has partnered to design and develop the web site, and Grove/Atlantic’s Morgan Entrekin conceived of the site in conjunction with veteran magazine editor Terry McDonell. The paradigm is […]
Marketing
Gallery Announces Literary Scout Press, and More
Gallery formally acknowledged their new literary imprint Scout Press on Monday, as promotion continues to build for one of their titles, literary agent Bill Clegg’s first novel (and third book), Did You Ever Have A Family?. Set for publication September 15 (with published metadata for some time, and rights sold in multiple territories), Clegg’s book will be promoted at the upcoming ABA Winter Institute. Gallery publisher Jennifer Bergstrom introduces a new conceit of “great accessible literary fiction,” which she describes to the NYT as, “literary but very accessible, not precious, not fussy, not esoteric.” In the release, she adds, “We will […]
People, Etc.: ICM to Represent Crichton
ICM is now representing rights to “the majority of titles” written by the late Michael Crichton (including most of his best-known novels, with the exception of Jurassic Park). Sloan Harris and Jennifer Joel will lead representation on the literary side, and the agency says it will “work closely with Sherri Crichton and licensees of rights licensed in Michael Crichton’s work to broaden the reach of his stories, worlds, characters and brands across all media.” There is work for potential posthumous publication and exploitation as well. ICM says it will also focus on “the exploration of Crichton’s heretofore unknown and unpublished works […]
Corporate: Hachette UK Adds Ilex, and the Penguin Hotline
The latest acquisition in a busy year for M&A, Hachette UK has purchased illustrated reference book publisher Ilex and will make it part of Octopus. Alastair Campbell, who co-founded Ilex 15 years ago, is retiring from the company, but the rest of the publishing staff will be retained and transferred to London. The Bookseller says that Nielsen Bookscan shows Ilex as having sales of approximately £700,000 in 2013. Their specialty is books on photography and visual media. Octopus chief executive Alison Goff says in the announcement: “We have long-admired the Ilex list for its quality and creativity. The titles Ilex publish are essential reference […]
Corporate: In-Flight eBooks on JetBlue; BN Commissions 500,000 Signed Books For Holidays; Perseus Year-End View
JetBlue’s has launched their “Fly-Fi” content platform, currently available on about 35 percent of all flights as part of their rollout of inflight wi-fi, offering free content, including excerpts of more than 20 ebooks from HarperCollins, their “exclusive book content partner” at launch. Penguin Random House will join the program in the first quarter of 2015. The ebook excerpts will include buy buttons to allow customers to purchase any of the available titles from a variety of retailers. HarperCollins chief marketing officer Angela Tribelli says in the announcement: “This is a terrific opportunity for travelers to enjoy some of the best books […]
Corporate: Reviving Scribner’s Magazine Online, Open Road Espanol, and Courier’s Brazilian Buy
The latest consumer-facing website launched by Simon & Schuster revives an old magazine name: Scribner Magazine, inspired by (but dropping the apostrophe of) the publisher’s long-ago sister publication Scribner’s Magazine, which published from 1887 through 1939. The new site will act as a general-interest literary magazine featuring “contributions from Scribner authors, editors, fellow S&S imprints, and other voices in the literary community.” Pieces already online includes an essay from Anthony Doerr on his new novel ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, up for a National Book Award Wednesday night; rare Hemingway photos from the publication of Ernest Hemingway’s THE SUN […]