Despite his well-covered persecution publicity pitch, it looks as if Tim Ferriss will come up short of his proclaimed goal for THE FOUR-HOUR CHEF of “hit[ting] #1 on BookScan to send a message to the incumbent world of publishing, to those who want everything to remain in the 1900’s.” For the week ending November 25, its first week on sale, the hardcover edition sold approximately 29,000 copies as tracked by Nielsen Bookscan. (Since nearly all sales were likely via Amazon and BN.com, the service likely captures nearly all of the print sales.) That puts the book at No. 3 on […]
New Releases/Forthcoming
Harper Extends “Impulse” Brand with Teen Digital Imprint
HarperCollins will launch another digital-focused imprint, Harper Teen Impulse, publishing short fiction for teens. The new line launches December 4 with a novella by Sophie Jordan, BREATHLESSS, and a futuristic novella from Scott Westerfeld, STUPID PERFECT WORLD, both selling for $1.99. The company indicates it will publish up to 4 ebooks a month, priced from 99 cents to $2.99. Harper Children’s president and publisher Susan Katz says, “We’re seeing short-form content becoming more popular in the digital marketplace, and HarperTeen Impulse allows us to experiment with new concepts and deliver content quickly.” The name echoes Avon Impulse, another of Harper’s […]
Approved, Moved and Announced
The government has finally stopped punishing the Penguin Group for NO EASY DAY and has truly cleared General Stanley McChrystal‘s book MY SHARE OF THE TASK for publication. They’ll miss the holiday period, and the book will publish January 7. Otherwise, it’s safe to assume that anyone with a book on General David Petraeus has moved up their planned publication date by a couple of weeks. Also just announced for the beginning of the year is Lawrence Wright‘s long-awaited book on the Church of Scientology, GOING CLEAR: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief. Knopf will publish on January 17.
Two Short Bradbury Pieces, and Book On Man Freed After 38 Years for Murders He Denies Committing
As the AP reports, two short works from Ray Bradbury will be published posthumously this fall: A three-page intro to The Best American Nonrequired Reading called “The Book and the Butterfly,” and a piece called “Dear Santa,” in the holiday issue of Strand Magazine. Bill Macumber was released from jail earlier this week after serving 38 years in prison for two murders he maintains he did not commit, and Holt is moving up publication of a related book to January 2013. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Barry Siegel‘s MAINFEST INJUSTICE: The True Story of a Convicted Murderer and the Lawyers Who Fought […]
People, Etc.
Jane Harris will join Quercus as executive director, sales and marketing, on January 3, 2013. Previously she was sales and trade marketing director at Walker Books. The FT reaffirms previous reports that Bertelsmann is considering buying back into Springer Science as the current private equity owners evaluate options for reducing their stake or selling entirely. Bertelsmann is said to have “said to have signaled firm intent earlier this year.” THE BURGESS BOYS, Elizabeth Strout‘s first novel since winning the Pulitzer Prize for OLIVE KITTERIDGE, has quietly sat on bookselling sites since at least August, and now it has been “announced” […]
Goldman Helps to Break Greg Smith Embargo; Is “Relieved,” But Also Works Hard to Discredit Author
The release of Greg Smith’s book WHY I LEFT GOLDMAN SACHS is making for some fascinating between the lines reading. On Monday, the NYT found it so compelling they ran a piece on just the first chapter, offered online as a pre-publication excerpt. Today, the front page of business section declares in a head that the “book offers few details on Goldman” (begging the question why that makes it front of the section news). We’re sure the paper’s verdict was not influenced at all by the fact that paper got what they hoped was a scoop on the embargo because […]