Nan Graham Will Step Down As Scribner Publisher, Transition To New Editing Role
Nan Graham will step down as publisher of Scribner and take on a new role editing at the imprint in 2025. Simon & Schuster says it will “begin an open and thorough search for the next publisher of Scribner.” Graham joined the imprint in 1994 as its first editor-in-chief. In her new role, she will edit her existing authors and acquire new books. Simon & Schuster ceo Jonathan Karp said in a release, “Nan’s range as an editor is extraordinary. In addition to being a great editor, Nan has been a superb publisher and generous mentor. A revered and integral […]
People 10/24
Former OpenAI Staffer Claims AI Training Is Not Fair Use
A former researcher at OpenAI has spoken out against the company’s use of copyrighted data in a detailed, publicly posted analysis, reported on further by the NYT (which is suing OpenAI for copyright infringement). Suchir Balaji left OpenAI in protest “because he no longer wanted to contribute to technologies that he believed would bring society more harm than benefit.” Early versions of the company’s technology were treated as research projects, which meant employees felt free to train them on any data without worrying about permissions and usage, Balaji told the Times. But as ChatGPT-4 became a commercial product, OpenAI failed […]
Maas Continues to Drive Big Gains at Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury reported sales for the first half of their fiscal year ended August 31, with sales continuing their rise—due in particular to Sarah J. Maas—to £180 million, up 32 percent, or £43 million. Profits were up 50 percent to £26.6 million. Essentially all of the gains came from the consumer division, where sales were up 47 percent (or £42 million) to £131.3 million, with profit before taxation and highlighted items gaining 91 percent to £21.4 million. We can’t talk about the consumer division without talking about Maas. According to the publisher, her sales more than doubled again in the period, […]
Obituary: Gary Indiana
Novelist, playwright, and critic Gary Indiana, 74, has died. He served as the art critic for the Village Voce from 1985-1988, and went on to publish novels including Horse Crazy, Resentment: A Comedy, and most recently, The Shanghai Gesture.