The Association of American Publishers will start a “pilot program” of webcasts featuring editors pitching Winter 2009 books to an intended online audience of booksellers media, beginning in September. For two weeks, two editors per day (on select days) will present “upcoming titles that have inspired them” in live 30-minute webcasts. Media and booksellers can call in and ask questions. Starting September 16, the schedule features: Rebecca Saletan from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Tom Miller from Wiley; Bill Thomas from Doubleday; Geoff Shandler from Little, Brown; Cindy Spiegel from Spiegel & Grau; Amy Einhorn from Putnam; George Witte from St. Martin’s; […]
More Stephenie Meyer
USA Today insists, “Stephenie Meyer is the most famous writer you’ve never heard of. But not for long. Meyer’s growing popularity is like a flashing billboard on our pop culture landscape.” But Meyer says “I think that after 30 years of being the most normal person in the whole world, it’s really hard to become ungrounded. When I’m not out on tour or doing photo shoots, I tend to just forget about it all.” BREAKING DAWN goes on sale just after midnight on Friday, with a first printing of 3.2 million copies. (Her first, and bestselling, book, TWILIGHT, has 3.3 […]
Grove Atlantic Free Kindle Book Promotion
Christopher G. Moore’s novel SPIRIT HOUSE will be offered as a free download for Kindle owners between August 1 and August 15, prior to its print publication on August 28. Publisher Morgan Entrekin says in the announcement, “We think this innovative partnership is a great way to expand Moore’s audience even further.”
Ann Patchett on Touring
The most important things Ann Patchett learned about the art of book touring were conveyed at a Southeast Booksellers Association conference in the 90s by Allan Gurganus and Clyde Edgerton, she writes in an Atlantic essay. Edgerton advised, “You’ve got to drink plenty of water” or you get dehydrated. Gurganus noted, “The only thing worse than going on book tour, is not going on book tour.” Patchett says: “The reason I have so assiduously followed Clyde’s advice (I drink it by the bucketful whenever I’m out on the road) and chanted Allan’s words like a mantra in my head (It […]
Japan's Yohan in Bankruptcy
Book2Book reports that Japanese distributor of foreign books and magazines Yohan “went into bankruptcy today and all their employees were dismissed at once, the office was closed down immediately and the website appears to be closed. It is understood that it has gone down the bankruptcy route, rather than a supervised corporate reorganization. Yohan did not have any significant property and assets and reports suggest that there will be no payment of debts.” Their bookstore operations Aoyama Book Center and Ryusui Shobo are still operating, and are seeking to reorganize.B2B
Personnel News
Overlook Press has hired David Falk as director of sales & marketing, reporting directly to publisher Peter Mayer and also “assisting him in numerous sales and publishing related activities.” Most recently he was director of national accounts at Houghton Mifflin, and prior to that he was a buyer at Baker & Taylor and a store manager at Barnes & Noble. Daisy Hutton will join Thomas Nelson as vp of international licensing in September. She has been rights director at Harvard Business Press. Publisher of management research books and journals Emerald Group opened a US subsidiary based in Cambridge, MA in […]