The NYT looked at the controversy over Norma Stevens and Steven Aronson’s Avedon: Something Personal, which we covered before the break. Publisher Spiegel & Grau adds to their earlier statement, now denying the Avedon Foundation’s claim that the book was mistakenly based in part on an unfinished autobiographical novel Avedon had worked on: “Norma Stevens did not copy or use a Richard Avedon novel in any way in writing Avedon: Something Personal. The Avedon Foundation has made loose, unsubstantiated allegations of copyright infringement without presenting any documented instances of substantial similarity between our book and another work.” But no one else seems to […]
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Minnesota Public Radio Fires Garrison Keillor Over Allegation Of Improper Behavior
Minnesota Public Radio has terminated its contracts with Garrison Keillor, producer of the Writer’s Almanac series and former host of A Prairie Home Companion, “after recently learning of inappropriate behavior with an individual who worked with him.” MPR said in a statement, “MPR takes these allegations seriously and we are committed to maintaining a safe, respectful and supportive work environment for all employees and everyone associated with MPR. We want a workplace where anyone who experiences unwanted behavior feels comfortable in reporting concerns to MPR. Discrimination, harassment, retaliation or other inappropriate behaviors will not be tolerated.” Keillor told the AP he was […]
Weinstein Author Brzezinski Protests, and Then Weinstein Is Fired
Allegations about Harvey Weinstein’s years of multiple incidents of sexual harassment became relevant to the Weinstein Company’s small presence in book publishing over the weekend. MSNBC news personality Mika Brzezinski, who announced a new deal with Weinstein Books in July, said via Twitter: “I have a three-book deal with Weinstein Books, through Hachette. I can’t go forward with those books unless Harvey resigns.” He didn’t resign, but on Sunday the remaining board members — four of the all-male nine-person board had already resigned — fired Weinstein. A statement said he was dismissed “in light of new information about misconduct…that has emerged in […]
BISG to Revamp Board Structure
The board of the Book Industry Study Group approved a significant set of changes to their by-laws that, when ratified at their members meeting on September 25, will reshape how the group is governed. The BISG intends to reduce the current oversized board of 33 members down to a more traditional group of 14 directors. They will also limit board members to a maximum of two consecutive two-year terms (except for the chair), after which they must rotate off for at least one year. The new board slots will be allocated specifically among distinct industry sectors, with 5 positions for publishers […]
Macmillan Finalizes Relocation to 120 Broadway for 2019
As first reported under consideration in April, Macmillan has now finalized a deal to relocate their offices to 120 Broadway in early 2019. Their lease in Flatiron Building was due to expire next year. The press release indicates Macmillan is taking four floors comprising 261,000 square feet of space for 20 years. They currently occupy about 176,00 square feet in the Flatiron for the trade division, but have offices elsewhere in city as well, primarily for the education group. The release says they will “relocate…from multiple locations” to the new space. Chief operating officer Andrew Weber says in the announcement, “The […]
NEH Chair Resigns As Organization is Forced to Budget For Its Closure
NEH chairman William D. Adams resigned on Tuesday after less than three years leading the organization. With funding recently reaffirmed for the current fiscal year, Adams was able to say in his statement, “We’re encouraged that Congress and the President increased our funding for the current year and that the White House has initiated the process of bringing new political appointees to the agency. Deputy chair Margaret Plympton will serve as acting chair. At the same time, however, the organization was forced to submit a fiscal 2018 budget appropriations request that asks Congress for a pared down $42 million “to begin […]