Book editor Karen Long notes that her Sunday book section has been cut by 25 percent: “The pages are being cut to one and one-half. Nobody following the news biz can pretend to be surprised, but all of us can be sad, just the same. She emphasizes that “a reduction of 25 percent still allows us a passing grade, especially if we spend the real estate we do have more wisely. That means that shorter reviews gain a new currency, especially the brand of substance and succinctness practiced by, for example, Dave Walton and Michele Ross.” NBCC blog
News
Bertelsmann Makes China Pullback Official
Following previous reports in the Chinese press, Bertelsmann officially announced the termination of its book club business in China on July 3. That decision came two weeks after the announced closure of all of the company’s 36 franchised retail bookstore chains in 18 cities in China. A Chinese analyst tells Interfax: “Chinese customers are more sensitive to price when purchasing books, but Bertelsmann’s book club model has failed to provide enough discount compared to its competitors, such as Joyo and Dangdang. What’s more, Chinese consumers are becoming more and more used to online purchasing but Bertelsmann, on the other hand, […]
U Michigan Drops Controversial Distribution Client
Last month the University of Michigan Press officially notified client Pluto Books that their distribution contract will be terminated at the end of the year. Pluto’s controversial book Overcoming Zionism had sparked a series of investigations and protests over Michigan’s relationship with the UK house. Pluto is the only distribution client being dropped by the press. In this case, the press is citing new guidelines that “say that the UM Press will distribute books only from publishers whose missions and processes of peer review were reasonably similar to its own,” the Ann Arbor News reports. So chairwoman of the press’s […]
Pitching Bugliosi's Bush "Murder" Book
It’s a tortured premise but it was good enough to spawn an NYT feature: Vincent Bugliosi’s May release The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder is reported to have sold 130,000 hardcovers so far and the author “has had more than 100 radio interviews about the book” yet the paper also says the book “has risen to best-seller status with nary a peep from the usual outlets that help sell books: cable television and book reviews in major daily newspapers.” Vanguard Press publisher Roger Cooper tells the paper that ABC Radio turned down an advertisement for the book. Newsweek […]
Sci-fi Writer Andre Norton's Literary Estate in Limbo Pending Appeals Court Review
“Conflicting claims have erupted over the copyrights and royalties” to the late Andre Norton’s work, leaving unpublished work of the SWFA and Nebula Grand Master honoree in limbo. The Tennessee Court of Appeals is reviewing a lower court decision that favored lifelong fan and correspondent Victor Horadam over Norton’s caretaker Sue Stewart.AP
Noted
“Robert Crais’ new novel, Chasing Darkness, is not — repeat NOT — about homicidal bears, despite that full-page New York Times ad promising a ‘grizzly’ murder. His Simon & Schuster rep says, ‘We meant ‘grisly.”” NYDN