Amazon is making yet another pass at short-form digital prose after years of failing to establish a market of scale, this time by announcing an imprint of Amazon Publishing called Amazon Original Stories. They will publish short works of fiction and nonfiction that can be read in a single sitting, available for purchase in the Kindle Singles store for $1.99 and free for Prime members. The first two titles, The Sign of the Beast by Joyce Carol Oates and Crown Heights by Colin Warner and Carl King, are already available, with work on deck from W. Kamau Bell, Jade Chang, Eddie Huang, Dean Koontz, and more. […]
New Imprints
People: Lee Boudreaux Leaves Imprint for Doubleday
A little less than two years after books from her eponymous imprint starting coming to market, Lee Boudreaux will leave Little, Brown to join Doubleday as vice president and executive editor, reporting to Bill Thomas, starting November 13. From our deal reports we count at least eight titles signed to Lee Boudreaux Books that have not been published yet, all of which will be assigned to new editors and issued by Little, Brown. Little, Brown publisher Reagan Arthur writes, “Lee has been a really great colleague and we loved having her here. A lot! But she decided she needed to make a change.” […]
Briefs: A Public Space to Launch APS Books, and More
Literary magazine A Public Space is launching a book imprint, APS Books. Founding editor Brigid Hughes will lead the imprint. The first title will be Betty Howland’s collection of short stories Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage in 2018, with titles to follow from British filmmaker Sally Potter and artist Dorothea Tanning, as well as an “anthology of responses to Italo Calvino unwritten sixth memo, edited by Martha Cooley, with contributions from Jhumpa Lahiri and Andrei Codrescu, among others.” Hughes succeeded George Plimpton as the editor of the Paris Review in 2003 and left to found A Public Space in 2006. She […]
Hachette Book Group Terminates Weinstein Imprint
Following the extensive and continuing accounts of alleged sexual harassment against Harvey Weinstein, on Thursday Hachette Book Group announced that they are finished with Weinstein Books, both as a publishing partner and a moniker. (The line was acquired as part of their purchase of the Perseus Books Group.) The company said in a statement and email to staff: “Hachette Book Group has terminated the Weinstein Books imprint, effective immediately (Perseus Books has had a co-publishing agreement with The Weinstein Company, under which we published around ten new books a year). Going forward, titles currently under the Weinstein Books imprint will […]
People, Etc.
Jacqui Small will step down as group publisher for her eponymous imprint at Quarto at the end of 2017, after which she will work part-time as publisher at large. The imprint has been part of Quarto since 2004, following their acquisition of Aurum Press. Chief executive of Quarto Marcus Leaver, chief executive of Quarto says: “Jacqui’s career is an extraordinary achievement. She has created a unique style through her ability to spot emerging lifestyle trends and her passion for publishing excellence. All of us at Quarto feel incredibly lucky to have had her as a colleague, mentor and friend. Her legacy […]
Raab and Futter to Start Division at Macmillan In September
Former Grand Central publisher Jamie Raab and former Grand Central editor-in-chief Deb Futter will join Macmillan on September 12 to start a new division, Celadon Books. Raab will be president and publisher and Futter will be senior vice president and co-publisher. The line expects to publish “a highly curated list of 20 to 25 new titles a year.” The release says the list “will strive to publish books that have range, depth, and impact” and draw on the founders’ “ability to publish commercial and literary books and discover and nurture talent.” Raab told the NYT, “I like the business too much” to […]