Baker & Taylor is moving its wholesale club book division, Baker & Taylor Marketing Services, to its distribution center in Indianapolis from the one in Woodland, CA, effective May 15. At Piatkus, Tim Whiting has been appointed publishing director of non-fiction, reporting to Antonia Hodgson. He will still continue his role as publishing director for Little, Brown non-fiction, reporting to Richard Beswick. Bob McLaughlin is retiring from Fujii Associates, effective April 1. Before joining Fujii, he worked at Ward Parkway Bookshop, Wybel Marketing and Heinecken and Associates. Linden Publishing, which primarily publishes in the fields of woodworking and California regional […]
Libraries Bristle at CPSC's Warnings on Lead in Kids' Books
The AP checks in on the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s advisory to libraries to restrict access to kids’ books printed before 1986 while they study the lead content of such products to see if it complies with last year’s Federal ban on lead in most children’s products. “Steps can be taken to put them in an area on hold until the Consumer Product Safety Commission can give further guidance.” Executive director of the American Library Association’s Washington office Emily Sheketoff says, “We’re talking about tens of millions of copies of children’s books that are perfectly safe. I wish a reasonable, […]
Apple Will Change the Rules for Selling eBooks within Apps
Apple previewed the many changes on the way in the next version of the operating system (version 3.0) for the iPhone and iPod Touch. (Apple says there are now about 30 million devices running this OS). Notably for publishers, Apple will now allow the sale of App Store content from within a paid app. SVP of iPhone software Scott Forstall said at the preview, “We’ve been listening, and some developers say there are other business models they’d like to support, such as subscriptions. Like magazines who would like to have readers renew their subscriptions, or, for instance, an e-book provider, […]
Discovery Sues Amazon, Saying Kindle Infringes Patent
Discovery Communications filed a patent suit against Amazon.com in Federal court in Delaware, alleging that the Kindle and the ways in which Amazon sells and delivers documents to the device infringes a patent filed for in 1999 and awarded in November 2007 for an “Electronic Book Security and Copyright Protection System.” Discovery general counsel Joseph A. LaSala, Jr. says in the announcement, “The Kindle and Kindle 2 are important and popular content delivery systems. We believe they infringe our intellectual property rights, and that we are entitled to fair compensation.” A Discovery spokesperson underscores that they do not want an […]
Seattle P-I Book Critic's Last Column
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer prints its final edition today, and book critic John Marshall reflects on over a decade at the helm with “a farewell list of the extraordinary, the strange, the faves and flops” he remembers, including: Strangest moment: Memoirist Mary Karr (“The Liars’ Club”) packing as I asked questions in her hotel room. No other author folded tiny bikini undies during an interview. Most unforgettable book-launch party: Grove/Atlantic’s poolside soiree at the Playboy Mansion during the 1999 BookExpo in L.A. Yes, Hef wore his pj’s. Seminal figures in Seattle’s reputation as a book town: Rick Simonson of The Elliott […]
Millard Kaufman, 92, Dies
Millard Kaufman,the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “Bad Day at Black Rock”, co-creator of Mr. Magoo, and author of the novel Bowl of Cherries (2007) died Saturday of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles two days before his 92nd birthday. Kaufman’s second novel Misadventure will be published by McSweeney’s Books this fall. LAT obit