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 […]
New Imprints
Reagan Arthur Gets an Imprint
Little, Brown is highlighting the “extraordinary success” of editor Reagan Arthur by establishing the Reagan Arthur Books imprint. Arthur will have the title of vp, editorial director of the new line, though she will continue to report to Geoff Shandler. Oliver Haslegrave moves over to the line as associate editor, and Marlena Bittner will be assistant director of publicity for Reagan Arthur Books/Little, Brown, with “additional support staff to be appointed in the weeks ahead.” The first list will publish in fall 2009 and they plan on growing the line to 15 to 20 books a year. Publisher Michael Pietsch […]
Inside Harper Studio
Bob Miller’s start-up unit Harper Studio is blogging via the new site 26thStory.com, and they have announced their initial batch of acquisitions from almost 25 authors via the site. The imprint will launch in April 2009 with a collection of previously unpublished Mark Twain stories (see below). Among the other titles signed so far are former Disney ceo Michael Eisner writing on “great business partnerships,” including his with the late Frank Wells; actor John Lithgow’s memoir; Moosewood Cookbook author Mollie Katzen starts a series for beginning cooks; author Richard Carlson’s (Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff) widow Kris on finding her […]
Virgin Books Closes NY Comics Office
Virgin Books’ Comics unit–a partnership with India-based comics publisher Gotham Entertainment–will close its New York office and reorganize. Eight people have been laid off, citing the “the current macro-economic downturn,” but the companies hope to set up a new office in Los Angeles. Reuters notes: “The company launched in 2006 with Virgin Group chief Richard Branson, author Deepak Chopra and filmmaker Shekhar Kapur among its founders. It began by publishing comics inspired by Indian and Hindu mythology and then moved into a line known as Director’s Cut, which attempted to lure filmmakers into the comics world in hopes of subsequently […]
More Readings
Crain’s NY reports that director of the film version of The Secret Drew Heriot has added Simon & Schuster to his long-running legal battle over copyright ownership and proceeds from the bestselling book. He alleges that the publisher’s license “violates [his] rights as a joint-owner,” and “is seeking undisclosed monetary damages, as well as a court order that Manhattan-based Simon & Schuster reveal how much money its made in sales from the title, a figure his lawyers put at $300 million.”Crain’s Journalists hate it when book publishers try to manipulate and control the news with embargoed books since it cuts […]
New Random UK Imprint
Random House UK’s CHA division will start Windmill Books, a literary paperback line drawing from the Heinemann and Hutchinson hardcover programs. Like the Arrow paperback line, the new imprint will be under publishing director Kate Elton, and aims to issue about 20 titles a year, comprising both nonfiction and fiction. Authors already published through CHA’s Vintage and Arrow will stay with their existing imprint. But CHA managing director Susan Sandon calls the new line “a key plank in CHA’s growth strategy.”B2B