Uncategorized

Hannibal for the Holidays Bantam announced publication of Thomas Harris’s HANNIBAL RISING for December 5, the fourth book featuring Hannibal Lecter. This one focuses on Lecter between ages 6 and 20. A film version of the book, based on a screenplay by Harris, will follow closely with a February release in the US. (When signed in 2004 as part of a two-book deal, the book was originally due for fall 2005. The NYT says Harris completed the manuscript within the last month.) Publisher Irwyn Applebaum says they plan a minimum first printing of 1.5 million copies. Announcements, Awards, Etc. — […]

Gore, Fergie, Fans and More On top of the 140 or so deals we sent out this morning in our weekly round-up, most of the news from the weekend is deal-related as well. Al Gore signed with Penguin Press recently to write THE ASSAULT ON REASON, asserting that “the public arena has grown more hostile to reason,” and that the political culture is blocked by an “unwillingness to let facts drive decisions.” The book is scheduled for May 2007, and the Washington Post opines that, “if the book strikes a chord, it will produce new momentum for Gore to make […]

The Key As usual, the handy key to our Lunch deal categories. While all reports are always welcome, those that include a category will generally receive a higher listing when it comes time to put them all together. “nice deal” $1 – $49,000 “very nice deal” $50,000 – $99,000 “good deal” $100,000 – $250,000 “significant deal” $251,000 – $499,000 “major deal” $500,000 and up FICTION Debut Julie Buxbaum’s debut novel THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE, about a 29-year-old attorney who lost her mother as a teenager and finds her well-constructed life falling apart when she can’t commit to the man who […]

Frey Talks James Frey gives his first full newspaper interview since his lies were unmasked. The intervening months have provided little in the way of perspective and it’s a long piece to get through for slim payoff. He confirms the book was submitted — and rejected 17 times, including by Doubleday — as a novel. He does not account for precisely how the change was agreed upon with Nan Talese’s imprint (“it was never once discussed as fiction by me or anyone in my office”), but he does say: “The idea that nobody at the publishing company knew it was […]

Reshuffle Your Booker Deck The Booker Prize shortlist was announced earlier today, and as usual, the oddsmakers were wrong and all of the favorites — David Mitchell; Peter Carey; Andrew O’Hagan; Barry Unsworth; and Clare Messud — didn’t make it. The six finalists are Sarah Waters (The Night Watch), Kiran Desai (The Inheritance of Loss), Kate Grenville (The Secret River), M J Hyland (Carry Me Down), Hisham Matar (In the Country of Men), and Edward St Aubyn (Mother’s Milk). BN Eyes Israel; Keillor to Become Bookseller Thus far, Barnes & Noble has eschewed international expansion as rival Borders has become […]

BN Recommends Barnes & Noble has launched a seasonal BN Recommends pick, selecting “one book we love — a book that we know is a riveting read and a work of extraordinary quality worthy of stimulating discussion.” Their first pick is Diane Setterfield’s THE THIRTEENTH TALE. Rapper to Return Advance Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah was ordered to repay a $50,000 advance to HarperCollins by a Manhattan judge. He never delivered the manuscript for his memoir, originally due to the publisher in January 2002. NYDN Why Look, “JT” Has A New Proposal Having elicited her moment of news for an […]