The Booker Prize returned to its traditional ways (in which the favorite always loses) as three-time nominee Howard Jacobson finally was a winner for THE FINKLER QUESTION. Bloomsbury publishes the book in both the UK and the US (which picked up rights only after the book was shortlisted for the prize, and officially published it yesterday). In the UK they have announced a new 50,000-copy printing. The Bookseller says that Nielsen BookScan UK had recorded sales of 8,300 copies prior to the award. The US edition ranked No. 72 at Amazon and No. 30 at BN.com when the winner was […]
Perseus Perseveres to Improve During the Year
In a slightly belated fiscal year-end letter, Perseus Books Group ceo David Steinberger writes to employees about the accomplishments and progress of their year (which ended June 30). In a period that began with layoffs, a summer furlough and other cutbacks, Perseus met their financial goals steadily enough to progressively lift their wage freeze, restore pay cuts taken by senior management, and as of the end of June resume their 401k matching. Steinberger writes, “What made this year so gratifying was the way we battled on so many fronts simultaneously. We fought to offset the fallout from the global financial […]
Amazon to Feature Shorter “Kindle Singles”
Veterans of the ebook business may recall a modest (at best) initiative from 2005 called “Amazon Shorts,” selling “short-form literature from top authors” including Audrey Niffenegger, Stuart Woods, Robert Rhodes, Robin Cook, James Lee Burke, Danielle Steel, and Ann Beattie at 49 cents each. Amazon officially discontinued the program this June and reverted rights (with a suggestion to move that material to the Kindle platform). Today Amazon has announced what could be seen as that program’s successor, dropping the length/underwear metaphor for one from the music industry: Kindle Singles. “Singles” are described as pieces running between 10,000 words to 30,000 […]
Awards, People, Etc.
The new Barnes & Noble Recommends trade paperback selections are Lisa Genova’s Still Alice and Mary Karr’s Lit: A Memoir. The Booker Prize will be awarded this evening in London. Ladbrokes had suspended betting last week after 50 percent more money was wagered on a single title–Tom McCarthy’s C–on Wednesday than had been bet in total since the longlist was announced in July. Most illuminating, though, was the revelation that for all the attention the Booker betting draws, Ladbrokes took just 10,000 pounds of wagers up until Wednesday, when another 15,000 pounds was bet on McCarthy alone. Traditionally the favorite […]
Lunch Weekly for Monday, October 11
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 Maria Duenas’ No. 1 Spanish bestseller and debut novel THE COUTURIERE, […]
Remembering Bookseller Carla Cohen, 74
Founder and co-owner of Washington, DC’s much-admired Politics and Prose bookstore Carla Cohen died this morning following her battle with a rare cancer of the bile ducts. The Washington Post remembers her as “a former urban planner who conceived of Politics and Prose as a salon where Washington readers and writers could gather to challenge each other in discussion about the big ideas of the day — a place that would reach beyond customers’ pocketbooks and become part of their lives.” Cohen and fellow owner Barbara Meade put the store up for sale earlier this year. In a obituary posted […]