Hachette Book Group issued a new statement Friday evening in the wake of Amazon’s removal of pre-order capabilities on forthcoming Hachette titles, which itself stemmed from an ongoing dispute over terms. “We are determined to protect the value of our authors’ books and our own work in editing, distributing, and marketing them,” the publisher said. They add, “We hope this difficult situation will not last a long time, but we are sparing no effort and exploring all options.” But the company is not prepared to say what those options might include yet. Separately, the NYT is last on the beat in […]
News
Touchstone Cancels Publication of @GSElevator Book
The strange saga of @GSElevator, the satirical Twitter feed purportedly from a Goldman Sachs insider who was “unmasked” by the NYT as 34-year-old Texas-based Citi banker John Lefevre last month, has added another turn, as Touchstone announced it has canceled publication of STRAIGHT TO HELL, the formerly anonymous author’s forthcoming book. All the publisher would say in their statement was that “in light of information that has recently come to our attention since acquiring John Lefevre’s STRAIGHT TO HELL, Touchstone has decided to cancel its publication of this work.” Recent reporting by New York Magazine intimated @GSElevator was the effort […]
Briefs: Penguin India Defends Withdrawal; The Bookseller Drops Author Solutions Ads; and more
Penguin India issued a statement earlier today regarding its decision to pull Wendy Doniger’s THE HINDUS from sale in that country after a settlement that ended a four-year court battle. “Penguin Books India believes, and has always believed, in every individual’s right to freedom of thought and expression, a right explicitly codified in the Indian Constitution. This commitment informs Penguin’s approach to publishing in every territory of the world, and we have never been shy about testing that commitment in court when appropriate.” But, the company said, they have “the same obligation as any other organization to respect the laws […]
Expectations
For us it’s that time of year when we are neither fully nor entirely off. Publishers Lunch will be occasional until 2014, as the news requires/allows. (We’ll be back at least once next week with deals and links at a minimum.) Publishers Marketplace continues to operate as usual, and we will report new deals, list new job openings, clip news to the Automat and post longer news items as they arise. If you’re tring to catch up a little, it’s a great time to update your contact info or refresh your member page. Don’t forget that our Launch Kids event comes up […]
Simon & Schuster Looks to Record Finish
Simon & Schuster ceo Carolyn Reidy dispatched her end-of-year letter to employees on Friday afternoon, noting that “If sales through the end of December hold to our projections, I’m happy to report that we will deliver record profits, a healthy gain in revenues, and our best-ever margins.” The company finishes the year with the quick-to-market children’s bestseller WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?, and Reidy celebrates successful titles and new initiatives from across the company. Among those achievements, “we significantly increased our publishing activity with the ‘indie’ authors, from trailblazers such as Jamie McGuire, Jennifer Probst, Colleen Hoover, and Abbie Glines […]
Dohle Notes First Holiday As A Merged Company
Last year Random House ceo Markus Dohle sent employees an e-holiday card rather than a year-end holiday letter (after providing RH US employees with a special $5,000 bonus as a “thank you payment” — accompanied by a brief note — after record earnings from Fifty Shades and other successes). This year, in his first as ceo of the merged Penguin Random House, Dohle has sent a year-end note to staff worldwide. He celebrates that “merger distractions have proven no match for your passion for our books and authors…. We haven’t changed what we did separately – we are now just […]