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 the previous few years have been David Mitchell (2004), Monica Ali (2003), and William Trevor (2002). But at least they are consistent; in the same period, only one favourite at the preliminary longlist stage (David Mitchell) has even made the shortlist. (Early leaders who were […]

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, Lisa See, and Valerie Hemingway. Random’s executive director of publicity and public relations Carol Schneider will coordinate the publisher’s involvement in the program. While Harper positioned their initiative as a revenue generator, Random is looking to their alliance primarily for promotion. Schneider says, “There’s a […]

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 his date that he couldn’t get a table at Michael’s?) “It’s war,” Wolff tells the NY Post. “I’m officially shopping for The Next Place.” But he can’t leave it at that: “I mean, $150 for track lighting. The place is tawdry looking.” One sign that […]

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 executive editor, overseeing feature animation and classic characters. All three will report to Disney Children’s editor-in-chief Brenda Bowen. At Scholastic, Ann Marie Resnick has been hired for the new position of vp, marketing and promotion in the book club division. She was vp, marketing at […]

Is Huffington Puffing? Ariana Huffington continues to play out her big “scoop” on Judith Miller, and has upgraded the Huffington Post’s standard of proof: Yesterday’s third-hand report (“sources tell me that Judy Miller is telling friends”) has been emphatically refined to definitive second or third-hand confirmation. To wit: “Miller has absolutely, positively been telling friends that she has a $1.2 million book deal. Period. The end.” Yesterday we made the mistake of assuming that Huffington’s “update” on a conversation with Simon & Schuster president Carolyn Reidy was complete and accurate — when it was apparently presented to serve Huffington’s ends, […]

Miller Might; Cooper Will; Chandra and Others Did Yesterday Ariana Huffington reported in the Huffington Post: “Sources tell me that Judy Miller is telling friends that she has made a $1.2 million book deal with Simon & Schuster. I’ve heard from senior editors at the publishing house that the deal is still so hush-hush that word of it has not appeared in the memos that circulate among the editorial staff, keeping them updated on pending deals and acquisitions.” Then Huffington said in a subsequent conversation, S&S president Carolyn Reidy told her: “There is no signed deal for the book — […]