British-based retailer WH Smith issued a short trading update for September 1 through November, when same-store High Street sales fell 4 percent. They added: “Whilst we remain cautious about the consumer environment and anticipate competitive trading in our markets over the key Christmas period, we have planned accordingly, and the current financial year has started as we expected.” In other UK financials, sales at Canongate for calendar 2007 declined almost 4 percent, down to 7.8 million pounds from 8.1 million the year before, while pre-tax profits fell sharply to 271,000 pounds, 60 percent decline from the year before. The company’s […]
Giller to Boyden
Joseph Boyden won Canada’s Giller Prize for his second novel THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE, after having been favored to win the award three years ago for his debut, THREE DAY ROAD. Juror Margaret Atwood praised the book “for its spare prose style that ranges from lyrical to brutal … and that shows us unforgettable characters and a northern landscape in a way we have never seen before.” Viking has the book scheduled for March 2009 release in the US. Mary Swan’s THE BOYS IN THE TREES had been the “overwhelming” favorite in the Guess the Giller contest, run through 30 public […]
PEN USA Award Winners
Pen USA announced their literary award winners, including: Fiction Daniel Alarcon, Lost City Radio Creative Nonfiction Julia Whitty, The Fragile Edge Research Nonfiction William Vollman, Poor People Poetry Juan Felipe Herrera, 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border Children’s Literature Ron Koertge, Strays Translation Donald Revell, A Season in Hell by Arthur Rimbaud PEN
People: Moynahan to Run Harper ANZ
Random House India and chairman of Random House New Zealand Michael Moynahan will move back to become ceo of Harper Collins for Australia and New Zealand in the new year, reporting to Victoria Barnsley. She says, “His extensive publishing background and management experience, along with an impressive track record in growing Random House’s business in both India and New Zealand, make him a perfect choice to take our business to the next level.” Moynahan adds, “Harper Collins ANZ rightly enjoys an enviable position in the market and I am looking forward to working with the team to build on a […]
Laura Bush Book Talks Ratified
Without acknowledging the Page Six report we cited this morning, the AP reports that “Laura Bush wants to write a memoir and will be meeting with several publishers, according to three publishing executives with knowledge of the proceedings. They asked not to be identified, saying discussions are in the early stages and highly confidential.” Or not. As before, attorney Bob Barnett is representing Mrs. Bush, though he declined to comment. Mrs. Bush’s spokesperson Sally McDonough says the first lady “has expressed interest in writing a book after she leaves” the White House and is exploring interest “but she would not […]
Australia Continues to Evaluate Lifting Import Restrictions
In their own bureaucratic way, the Australian government is moving ahead with their examination of whether to lift or amend the copyright law that stipulates that if an Australian publisher issues their own version a book released somewhere else in the world within 30 days of its original publication, import editions are banned for sale. The Productivity Commission is required to issue a report within six months.Government release