New Novel from Marquez; Rayo Expands We first learned from blog The Millions that Argentinean newspaper Clarin reported the upcoming release next month of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s first new work of fiction in over ten years, Memorias de Mis Putas Tristes (Memories of My Sad Whores). It’s described as “a history of love narrated in little more than 100 pages.” Though not officially announced here in the U.S., Lunch has learned that the Knopf Group is preparing to release a North American Spanish language edition simultaneous with the publication in other territories. Knopf had also released a Spanish-language edition the […]

Please Note Honey and laptops are a dangerous mix; thus there will be no Lunch tomorrow in observance of the Jewish New Year. Frankfurt Fireworks Apparently efforts by Frankfurt Book Fair head Volker Neumann to secure an early extension of his contract, which runs through the end of next year, have backfired. Supervisory board chairman of the Borsenverein trade association Joachim Treeck confirmed for Germany’s Boersenblatt yesterday in an interview that Neumann’s contract will not be renewed. Treeck insists, “The contract was from the beginning limited [aren’t all contracts?]. It was important to the supervisory board to strive promptly for […]

Major Reduction in Earnings Forecast at AMS Advanced Marketing Services continues to suffer from “substantial fees and expenses” related to government investigations of some its accounting practices, plus the company has “changed its sales approach regarding how it handles the disposition of excess inventory.” The latter has resulted in “an increase in reserves taken on non-returnable or partially returnable inventory,” and has led the company to significantly reduce its earnings prediction. A further explanation refers to the company’s “reorganization of its distribution centers” and says that “estimated publisher incentive income declined.” AMS warned investors yesterday that it now expects to […]

In Denial Seymour M. Hersh’s book-length version of his Abu Ghraib investigations CHAIN OF COMMAND releases today, though the NY Times got an early copy. They say the book indicates that “senior military and national security officials in the Bush administration were repeatedly warned by subordinates in 2002 and 2003 that prisoners in military custody were being abused.” The Pentagon was quick to provide a denial on their web site: “Based on media inquiries, it appears that Seymour Hersh’s upcoming book apparently contains many of the numerous unsubstantiated allegations and inaccuracies which he has made in the past based upon […]

WordsWorth in Bankruptcy Filing Cambridge’s renowned independent store WordsWorth Books filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday. Owners Hillel Stavis and his wife Donna Friedman tell the Boston Globe that revenues have plunged, and the store has been losing money for two years. Court filings indicate the store has $1.5 million in debts, and $1 million in inventory and assets. The owners have “poured $500,000 of their personal savings into WordsWorth in recent years.” Annual revenue of about $5 million is half of what the operation did in “better times.” They once had as many as 110 employees, but now […]

Sterling Makes the List Yesterday at about noon, a press release hit the wire from Barnes & Noble celebrating the appearance of Barry Miles’ HIPPIE on the NYT bestseller list at No. 12. Though Sterling has many titles that have sold huge quantities over time (from many hundreds of thousands to millions), this is their first NYT bestseller. Today, the paper of record (which has had access to the September 12 list for some time now) took the bait and went off and running. The only other news in the piece is that BN has “stealthily produced” their own hardcover […]