Smith’s Better than Worst, But UK Retail Still Suffers Traditional UK book retailers continue to report weakness heading into the fall selling season. WH Smith’s earnings report for their fiscal year, through the end of August, was destined to be an improvement over their huge 148 million pound loss from a year ago. Showing net […]
Lunch for Wednesday, October 12
Schedule Note There will be no Lunch served tomorrow; we’ll return on Friday. Chose Your Hotspot: Frankfurt, or Omaha If the selling process for the financial advice book from former Morgan Stanley insurance stock analyst Alice Schroeder, drawing on her access to master investor Warren Buffett, goes ahead as planned, a small number of publishing […]
Lunch for Tuesday, October 11
Booker to Banville The Booker Prize continues its predictable unpredictability as for at least the fourth consecutive year, judges “surprised” everyone in bypassing the favourites, led by Julian Barnes for ARTHUR AND GEORGE, giving the award to Irish author John Banville for THE SEA. In case you haven’t been keeping track, the betting favourites-turned-losers from […]
Lunch for Monday, October 10
Random Speaks Echoing Harper’s move this May to establish an in-house speakers bureau, the Random House Publishing Group announced today an affiliation with the Boston-based American Program Bureau. Random House and Ballantine authors confirmed as joining the lecture agency’s roster include Salman Rushdie, Gail Sheehy, Jonathan Harr, ADD expert Edward M. Hallowell M.D., Matthew Pearl, […]
Lunch for Friday, October 7
How Could This Not Be Our Lead Story? Keith Kelly buries one of his most important stories in months: formerly influential media critic Michael Wolff has reportedly sworn off Michael’s restaurant after they couldn’t get him a table for lunch on Wednesday. (Can you just imagine the conversation in which he had to explain to […]
Lunch for Thursday, October 6
Personnel News Disney’s Children’s Book Group has announced a slate of executive promotions. At Hyperion Books for Children, executive editor Donna Bray moves up to editorial director. The Disney Press and Disney Editions lines will be consolidated under Disney veteran Wendy Lefkon, who will serve as editorial director. And Victoria Saxon has been promoted to […]