Following the striking recitation by poet Amanda Gorman at the presidential inauguration on Wednesday, Penguin Children’s announced that “due to overwhelming demand” it will issue a special hardcover edition of the work, THE HILL WE CLIMB. They plan a spring release, with an announced first printing of 150,000 copies, with the pub date still to…
The Complete Buzz Books Spring/Summer Titles
As we previewed Tuesday, our new free ebook Buzz Books 2021: Spring/Summer arrives this week packed with 46 pre-publication excerpts from major authors and exciting debuts. Our sampler is the ultimate way to prepare for the upcoming publishing season. For the trade editions — with publicity and marketing info, and click-throughs for full galleys, you…
People, Etc.
Derek Gullino has been promoted to senior vice president, executive director of publishing operations for Clarkson Potter, Harmony & Rodale, and Ten Speed Press. Donna Loffredo has been promoted to Executive Editor, Harmony Books and Rodale Books, reporting to Diana Baroni. At Random House, Rachel Kind has been promoted to vice president and executive director of…
Pearson’s Sales Down 10 Percent for the Year, as Expected; WH Smith Sees Good Holiday Sales
Pearson issued their traditional January “trading report,” providing sales highlights in advance of a full annual report on March 5. The pandemic year only reinforced the longstanding trend: Global online learning (18 percent sales growth) was weighed down by declines in US higher ed courseware (with sales falling (12) percent). The businesses most heavily hit…
South Korea’s Naver to Acquire Wattpad for More Than $600 Million
Further to recent reports that storytelling website Wattpad had put itself up for sale, on Tuesday publicly-held Korean internet conglomerate Naver said it would acquire Wattpad for cash and stock valuing the company at over $600 million. (The mix of cash versus stock is not being disclosed at this time.) Korea’s largest search engine, Naver’s…
McGuigan Sues Former Partner Gendell, Alleging “Criminal Embezzlement” of Funds
On Thursday, literary agent Peter McGuigan filed suit on behalf of himself and the literary agency Foundry in New York Supreme Court against former business partner Yfat Reiss Gendell, charging breach of contract, conversion of funds, intentional fraud and fraudulent conveyance, negligent misrepresentation, and more. Alleging “criminal embezzlement,” the suit says that Gendell illegally transferred…
