The estate of children’s book author Adrian Jacobs has sued Bloomsbury in England’s High Court, alleging that JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire “copied substantial parts” of Jacobs’ THE ADVENTURES OF WILLY THE WIZARD–No 1 Livid Land. The estate “is also seeking a Court order against JK Rowling herself for pre-action disclosure in order to determine whether to join her as a defendant to the…action.” They also allege that when Jacobs was first seeking representation, he submitted to Rowling’s agent Christopher Little. Apparently both books feature wizards who compete in contests and have to rescue humans. While […]
People
Random House UK ceo Gail Rebuck was made a Dame on the Queen’s Birthday Honors List (her husband is already a Lord). In annual income disclosures, Senator Ted Kennedy reported that he was paid $2 million as an advance (presumably only the first part) for his memoir in 2008. (The full price was reportedly about $8 million.) This week’s New Yorker profiles Nora Roberts, “America’s most popular novelist”–whom the magazine explains to its readers is like “the Raymond Carver of romance,” at least in her “choice of milieu.” (They note that the Times Book Review has reviewed just one of […]
S&S to Offer Almost 5,000 Titles for Sale on Scribd.com
In a release originally set for announcement today that hit the wires last night after Business Week violated the embargo, Simon & Schuster is offering almost 5,000 of their titles available for sale on Scribd.com through a branded “storefront” on the site, including books from some of their bestselling authors. They books are priced at 20 percent below print retail, and the site provides the publisher with 80 percent of the revenue. S&S is also providing free previews with links to purchase print books from the publisher’s website. Scribd’s files are viewable online but download only as protected PDF files […]
People, Awards, Announcements
Michael Thomas was the surprise winner of the IMPAC Prize for his debut novel MAN GONE DOWN, published by Grove/Atlantic. The judges said: “We never know his name. But the African-American protagonist of Michael Thomas’s masterful debut, Man Gone Down, will stay with readers for a long time. Tuned urgently to the way we live now, [Man Gone Down] is a novel brilliant in its scope and energy, and deeply moving in its human warmth.” Len Vlahos has been promoted to chief operating officer at the American Booksellers Association, filling the position held by Oren Teicher before he advanced to […]
The Daily Amazon Story
Next week’s Time magazine considers Amazon’s expansive publishing ambitions in a long piece. They conclude: “Imagine a world where publishing has two centers rather than one: a conventional literary center, governed by mainstream publishing–with its big names and fancy prizes and high-end art direction–and a new one where books rise to fame and prominence YouTube-style, in the rough and tumble of the great Web 2.0 mosh pit. The two centers will affect each other gravitationally and swap authors back and forth between them, but they’re not likely to eat each other. With any luck, they’ll energize each other. “Which is […]
Bunch of Grapes Ready to Reopen on Vineyard
The Bunch of Grapes bookstore will reopen on Saturday in Vineyard Haven (on Martha’s Vineyard), a joyous return after a fire last July 4th significantly damaged the store and its contents. New owner Dawn Braasch, who bought the business from Jon Nelson last October (and has a long-term lease from his mother and founder of the store Ann Nelson, who is also helping Braasch as a consultant), tells the local paper “not only are we serving the community, but the community has really served us. Over the years, people have been such good patrons, and without them, we wouldn’t be […]