Ishamel Beah’s Statement For months I told Bob Lloyd and The Australians reporter, Shelley Gare, through my publisher, my agent, and my adoptive mother, that unfortunately they were wrong, that the man they claimed was my father was not my father, and that my mother and brothers were not alive, as Lloyd claimed. Last week, when The Australiansent reporters to my home in Sierra Leone, they were forced to acknowledge that this has been a hoax. Now The Australians reporters are trying to raise questions about the dates in my book, A Long Way Gone, regarding when the war came […]
Lunch for Tuesday, January 22
Australian Paper Finds Errors in Beah’s Memoir This weekend The Australian published findings from an extensive investigation into Ishmael Beah’s memoir A LONG WAY GONE, concluding that he was older than he claimed when he was forced to serve in the Sierre Leone army and that he probably only fought for two or three months rather than the two years described in the book. The second page of Beah’s book says, “The first time that I was touched by war I was 12. It was in January 1993.” The paper writes: “But the event he goes on to describe did […]
Lunch Weekly for Monday, January 21
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 Samantha Harvey’s THE WILDERNESS, about a sixty year old man’s struggle […]
Lunch for Friday, January 18
Personnel News Editorial director of Harcourt’s paperback imprint Harvest Books Tina Pohlman will join Spiegel & Grau as senior editor, hardcovers, and editorial director, paperbacks. Pohlman will start on February 11, reporting to Cindy Spiegel and Julie Grau. Pershing Square Capital Management partner Richard McGuire has joined the board of directors at Borders Group. In the international sales department at HarperCollins, Samantha Hagerbaumer has been promoted to associate director, international sales & marketing and Meredith Greenhouse has been promoted to associate director, international sales. Eryn Wade moves over from the children’s marketing department to the new position of international marketing […]
Lunch for Thursday, January 17
S&S Goes Outside for Editor-in-Chief, and More Personnel News Simon & Schuster’s long-awaited announcement noting their new editor-in-chief for the adult trade imprint has finally gone out, as the house has hired former Time magazine deputy managing editor (and neighbor of Lunch) Priscilla Painton. She says in the announcement, “I look forward to joining one of the truly great and legendary imprints in the publishing business and collaborating with the talented editorial staff on books that will be read not just today, but for a lifetime.” The editorial staff will report to Painton except for editorial director Alice Mayhew, who […]
Lunch for Wednesday, January 16
Nurnberg Leaves Sterling Longtime Sterling Publishing CEO and publisher Charlie Nurnberg “has decided to leave the company to pursue other interests,” according to a memo sent internally yesterday from parent company Barnes & Noble ceo Steve Riggio. He’ll leave the company some time this week, he told reps in a farewell note: “There is another world out there and I am ready to explore it. As as with all of the best ideas, this one’s time has come.” Marcus Leaver, who joined the company in 2005 as executive vice president and chief operating officer, has been appointed president, “taking full […]