Saddle, Back In Lunch resumes regularly scheduled service today after a delightful post-Frankfurt week off. Thanks for waiting. As you’ll note, some items below are brand-new, while others catch up in a small way on notable news from last week. Smithsonian to Revamp Book Division The Smithsonian Institution is in the midst of reorganizing their book division. The organization’s more academic titles will be published under the oversight of undersecretary for science David Evans, sustained in large part through a congressional grant of $1.5 million. The commercial trade-oriented titles, rejuvenated under director Don Fehr since he joined the unit last […]

As Noted Yesterday We’ll have a Deal Weekly for you early next week, but otherwise Lunch will rest for the entire. Deals will still be processed through Lunch’s western outpost, as will jobs, reviews, and all of our other site features. Thanks for your indulgence. Over and Out It’s the unofficial last day of the Fair for Lots of People — except for those who are still booked solidly on the half-hour to the bitter end-and the sound of prominent suitcases snapping shut can be heard all over town. (Just as, for a certain group, the show began the day […]

Important Notes It’s been almost a year since we’ve offered any kind of trial period at PublishersMarketplace, but it’s time for a limited opportunity for you to check out the site. From tomorrow, Friday, through Tuesday, you can sign up for a free taste of what we have. (You just have to cancel by Tuesday if you don’t want to stay with us as a member-not that that would happen.) Please note, though, you will not receive Lunch Deluxe as part of the trial. To get Deluxe — which really is longer, better, and more detailed every single day, and […]

Google: Print This The biggest news from Frankfurt actually originates in California, as Google moves to the next phase of their Google Print feature. The company has a booth here in Frankfurt’s Hall 8 and “Google guys” Larry Page and Sergey Brin (the co-founders) are holding a press conference here tomorrow afternoon. Google started rolling the new Print database into the larger Google index earlier today. The new iteration of Print — which Google Director of product management Susan Wojcicki’s underscores is “very early” and viewed as “just a preliminary test, working with the publishers we’ve already signed up” of […]

From FBF Things were not necessarily as they always are on this day before the full opening of the Frankfurt Book Fair. (Of course certain things we’re just as ever, like the half-mile u-turn that the taxi cabs take in order to drop you off, practically doubling the fare.) It was unseasonably hot for one thing. Outdoors it was about 80, while some glass-exposed indoor sections were far hotter. (Tomorrow is supposed to be back to normal.) And at tonight’s official opening ceremony, any traditional expectations you might have had about German efficiency were wiped away. Fair director Volker Neumann […]

Schedule Notes I head to Frankfurt tonight; anticipating disorientation and a hectic day tomorrow, I’m not sure when tomorrow’s Lunch will be delivered. For the rest of the week, with the time difference on our side, Lunches will probably be served earlier than usual. If you’re there, I’ll have a little office in 8.1, lucky number 13 — and of course always reachable via e-mail. Milestone, Reached Just in time for FBF, our deal database has passed 10,000 records. Barnes & Noble Will Spin Off GameStop Stake The game of financial ping pong with Barnes & Noble’s videogame subsidiary GameStop […]