Julian Assange’s memoir, once set for a release last April by Canongate and then delayed further last month, now may not be published at all. The Guardian quotes “publishing sources” as saying the book won’t be released “at least in its original form” after the Wikileaks founder “indicated he no longer wished to write the kind of book that was initially envisaged.” It appears Assange thinks the manuscript as ghostwritten by Andrew O’Hagan “could give ammunition to US prosecutors, whom he fears may seek his extradition on terrorist charges relating to WikiLeaks disclosures.” A spokeswoman for Canongate told the paper […]
News
People, Etc.: New Ceo at VBK, New Leadership for Fodor’s, and More
Wiet de Bruijn has been named as the new ceo of Holland’s general books line Veen, Bosch and Keuning Publishers, a division of NDC|VBK (which includes the imprints Ambo|Anthos, Artemis, Atlas, Business Contact, Contact, De Fontein|Tirion, Kok, Kosmos, Luitingh-Sijthoff, Mouria, Ten Have and L.J. Veen). He succeeds Bert de Groot, who retires on July 1. De Groot will continue to serve as an advisor to the NDC|VBK executive board. An independent consultant and entrepreneur, de Bruijn’s publishing experience dates from the 90s, when he was CEO of Van Dijk Educational Books. Random House Inc. vp of digital publishing development Nina […]
Politico and RH Team Up for 2012 Election eBooks; Bundling; Pan Macmillan Digital Backlists; and More eNews
Politico and Random House are partnering to publish four “instant” digital books throughout the 2012 Presidential election beginning this fall. The as-yet-untitled series, with books to be in the 20,000-30,000 word range, will be reported and written by Politico chief white house correspondent and Playbook founder Mike Allen and former Newsweek editor Evan Thomas, with Jon Meacham to edit. Meacham pitches it as “a kind of Theodore White for the digital age” and tells the NYT that “an impetus here is to encourage people to think of book publishers in a more periodical way.” Politico editor-in-chief John Harris adds in […]
People, Etc.
Martin H. Greenberg died June 25 after a long battle with cancer. He was 70 years old. Greenberg founded Green Bay, WI-based book packager Tekno Books, which produces about 150 titles per year and has over 2,300 published books translated into 33 languages, and was a longtime professor and the first Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 1996. In nearly forty years of working in the publishing field, he also edited hundreds of anthologies, both by himself and with notable partners such as Isaac Asimov, Ed Gorman and Robert Silverberg in […]
Briefs: Amazon Coming to India; Two More Borders Stores to Close in Hawaii
Amazon is about to set up operations in India, possibly within the next six months, having reportedly filled the position of head of book operations there and embarking on a hiring spree for additional positions. Plugged.in Borders will close two more Express stores in Oahu, Hawaii later this year, which will leave only three stores remaining open in the state. 20 staffers will be laid off. “Without rent concessions, which we have been trying to negotiate, they are unprofitable locations,” spokesperson Mary Davis said in an email to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “Generally speaking, we try to place impacted employees at […]
Announcements: Curtis Brown to Represent Ian Fleming Estate, And More
Ian Fleming Publications Ltd has appointed Jonny Geller and Curtis Brown to represent the Ian Fleming James Bond novels and future James Bond literary works worldwide, replacing Simon Trewin and United Agents. Curtis Brown will also represent the James Bond novels written by Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and Raymond Benson as well as translation rights in the Young Bond series by Charlie Higson. Aurum’s previously announced imprint headed up by former Granta staffers Alex Clark and Rosalind Porter will be called Union Books, and they will publish 20 titles a year beginning in January 2012, starting with Donovan Hohn’s MOBY […]