Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will publish The Legend of of Sigurd and Gudrun, “a thorough reworking in verse of old Norse epics” that predates The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, in May. AP
New Releases/Forthcoming
Ron Howard Says Dan Brown Has Finished Next Book
The director made the disclosure to Entertainment Tonight in an interview from the set of Angels and Demons in Geneva. Spokesperson Suzanne Herz commented only that Brown “is making great progress,” and said “we do not yet have a title or publication date to share.” Reuters
Krakauer Returns
The Jon Krakauer book on the life and death of NFL player turned Army Ranger Pat Tillman–postponed last fall after the author cancelled a BEA speaking slot–is set for publication after all. Retitled WHERE MEN WIN GLORY: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman, Doubleday has an announced first printing of 600,000 copies set for release on September 22.
Some Big Titles on the Way
The WSJ highlights a few big releases, including the announced 2.8 million-copy first printing for John Grisham’s The Associate, publishing January 27. Others mentioned include Jodi Picoult’s Handle with Care, James Patterson’s nonfiction book The Murder of King Tut, Jonathan Littell’s The Kindly Ones, Sara Gruen’s Ape House, and Emmanuel Jal’s War Child: A Child Soldier’s Story.WSJ
New Releases Aim for Post-Holiday Sales
Gotham publisher Bill Shinker explains to the WSJ that “the week after Christmas is a great time to put out books,” in part due to the rise in gift-card sales. Barnes & Noble says gift card purchases have doubled over the past five years. Highlighted newly-releasing titles in this short piece are: Josh Bazell’s Beat the ReaperAnn Coulter’s Guilty: Liberal ‘Victims’ and Their Assault on AmericaAzar Nafisi’s Things I’ve Been Silent About: MemoriesHarry S. Dent’s The Great Depression Ahead: How to Prosper in the Crash Following the Greatest Boom in History WSJ
Revised HP Lexicon Comes to Market
When Judge Robert Patterson barred publication of RDR Books’ THE HARRY POTTER LEXICON, his ruling made it clear that the biggest problem was the lifting of JK Rowling’s words and the “almost wholesale” incorporation of information in the two minor charity companion books, Fantastic Beasts and Quidditch Through the Ages. The publisher and author have done the sensible thing–rewrite the book, using Judge Patterson’s decision as “rule book.” They will issue the revised Lexicon in January, with the new subtitle, An Unauthorized Guide to Harry Potter Fiction and Related Materials. RDR has withdrawn its appeal of the court’s ruling, a […]