With one angry electronic outburst novelist Alice Hoffman may have changed how many readers view her. After novelist and longtime critic Roberta Silman wrote a mildly critical review of Hoffman’s THE STORY SISTERS in the Boston Globe, Hoffman reacted with a series of angry tweets. Not just a grumpy post or two, but 27 in all, according to NY Magazine (they have now been deleted, along with the corresponding Twitter account.) The series of 140-character-or-less insults also included Silman’s phone number and e-mail address (with a typo) and a rallying cry to “Tell her what u think of snarky critics.” […]
Bookselling News: Praising Politics & Prose; Espresso Self-Publishing; Online Bookstore Dating; BN's App; and More
A number of interesting stories that first appeared in the PL Automat: – The Washington Post profiles the “doyennes” who “nurture” the “landmark” store Politics & Prose. And they look at the store’s p&l: “After paying $3.9 million for books, $1.6 million for payroll and covering the rest of their expenses, the store earned $73,000 last year. The co-owners split $173,000 in salary and bonus. Carla Cohen said a big mistake was trying to run the coffeehouse downstairs themselves. They sub-contract it out and earn $4,000 a month. The store’s Web site is not a big profit center, averaging 200 […]
Google Settlement: The Defense Speaks
Those in favor of the Google Books legal settlement have started airing their views in public over the last week or so. As linked via the Automat, we’re collecting a number of those pieces here for interested readers. Today Oxford US president Tim Barton has the longest and most nuanced piece of what he dubs the “Good Book Settlement”–only it’s currently behind the paywall at the Chronicle of Higher Education. (We’re told it should be available more broadly soon.) He balances what the settlement offers while acknowledging some of its flaws: “It can and should be improved. But after long […]
One Account of Frey's Co-Author
A source says that the co-author of I AM NUMBER FOUR–reportedly alongside James Frey–is recent Columbia MFA graduate Jobie Hughes. “We’re all ecstatic for him,’ this classmate of Hughes told me by email. “This is pretty much the biggest thing any of us could imagine.” At this time Hughes has not returned email or phone queries, and neither Frey nor Eric Simonoff of WME, who represents both writers, could be reached. (Confusingly, Hughes’ web site lists both Simonoff and Jennifer Lyons of Lyons Literary as his agents, and Lyons confirmed she is representing him. But the 29-year-old Hughes has a […]
Montreal Publisher Has Well-Timed Jackson Bio
Montreal’s Transit Media is releasing a Michael Jackson biography by Ian Helperin on Tuesday that was already in the works. Previously titled (at various times) Michael Jackson: Return from Exile and Michael Jackson Unmasked: Peter Pan or Pervert, they are now going with Michael Jackson: The Last Days. CanWest News Service says that Helperin has added “about 50 pages” during “a frantic rewrite.” In the wake of Jackson’s death, retailers nationwide have reported huge demand for the pop star’s albums and related material. Amazon says that 60 percent of all CD orders on Thursday were for Jackson-related albums, according to […]
Lunch Weekly for Monday, June 29
Deal Reports Just e-mail to deals@PublishersMarketplace if you aren’t using the online form linked below. Report a deal using the online form 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 Lori Roy’s BENT ROAD, in which the disappearance of a young […]