Paperwork for a new edition of the Nook, codenamed Bravo Delta and CR Nook, has shown up on the FCC website (with specs and pictures withheld)The Digital Reader A front-page LAT feature hits many of the same notes on the intersection of reading, technology and digital books as did an ongoing series in the NYT last year, with the usual point-counterpoint between those who worry about people not reading enough and those who are excited by technological possibilities. LAT Zondervan is delaying publication of a Sarah Palin biography for young readers after deciding that October was not an “optimal time” […]
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NEA Cuts Big Read Budget
Earlier this month the NEA awarded $1 million in grants for The Big Read program to 75 non-profit groups. That’s down from $3.7 million to 267 groups last year. NEA spokeswoman Liz Stark told the St. Louis Dispatch that the program was scaled back because it is now established and the NEA wants to “fund it at a sustainable level.” She said other groups are expected to take over funding and planning.St. Louis DispatchOriginal NEA release
Briefs: The Right Cover for ‘Dragon Tattoo’; Amazon Stock Down to ‘Neutral’; Murray Out at S&S;
The WSJ looks at the laborious process Knopf went through to find the right cover for THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. Senior designer Peter Mandeslund prepared “nearly 50 distinct designs” over a 3-month period, ranging from “a monochromatic white cover dotted with blood…rejected for its lack of color” and “a vivid fuchsia jacket emblazoned with an illuminated typeface, [which left executives looking for something more original.” Even the final product met with some “pushback” among retailers and the Knopf sales team, who were looking for a more conventional depiction in lines with other thrillers. But chairman Sonny Mehta insisted […]
Layoffs Continue at Crown
Crown has gone through its second round of layoffs in a week, with five jobs reportedly eliminated in its WaterBrook Multnomah imprint. A spokesperson confirmed to PW that “a small number of positions have been eliminated” and that “we see these changes as aligning our business with our ongoing strategy here.” Earlier a “small number of positions” had been eliminated on the Clarkson Potter side. PW
BBC Sales Majority Stake of Audiobooks Arm to AudioGo LTD
BBC Worldwide has sold an 85% stake in BBC Audiobooks, including the Rhode Island-based American division, to AudioGo Limited, a group of investors gathered by a trio of former PolyGram executives. Following the sale, BBC Audiobooks America will trade as AudioGo, and will continue to publish BBC-sourced content under the BBC Audio imprint.Guardian
Briefs: 2 Million Copy First Printing for ‘The Secret’ Follow-up; Poetry a Hard Sell in E-Form; ; And More
Atria has announced a 2 million copy first printing for THE POWER, Rhonda Byrne’s follow-up to THE SECRET, which will be published next month.AP The AP also looks at why poetry has proven to be “the least adaptable to the growing e-book market”: no one’s quite certain how to figure out how to keep the integrity of a poem intact in digital formats.AP This week’s NYT trend piece: nanny lit isn’t going away, it’s just changed, “showcasing complex and imperfect nannies whose personal stories intersect with thorny larger questions about race, class, immigration and parenthood.”NYT The estate of Adrien Jacobs […]