LAT Plans to Merge Book Review with Opinions The Los Angeles Times is working on a plan to turn their stand-alone Sunday book review section into a dual-cover tabloid-size section presenting book reviews read from one direction, and opinion columns read from the other direction. LAObserved.com reports on the changes based on sources at the paper. The blog notes: “Some believe the revamp has already received bean-counter approval to launch after the Times Festival of Books in April — it just wouldn’t do to have the rookie publisher and editor jeered at the paper’s biggest (by far) community event.” LAT […]

A Boost for Gardiner from King, and A Clown’s Applause The UK edition of crime writer Meg Gardiner’s 2002 thriller CHINA LAKE and her full Evan Delaney series is in demand here, in more ways than one, after Stephen King mentioned the book on his blog in December and then wrote about it in a February EW column. King calls her “the next suspense superstar.… This woman is as good as Michael Connelly and far better than Janet Evanovich.” (Gardiner lives in the UK now, but she is American and her books are set in Los Angeles.) Britt Carlson at […]

Black Sues Over Book Conrad Black filed a libel suit in Toronto last week against British author Tom Bower and HarperCollins over the book CONRAD & LADY BLACK: Dancing on the Edge. Seeking $11 million in damages, the complaint alleges that “Bower concocted a pre-conceived thesis that the plaintiff is a criminal sociopath who, throughout his whole business career sought to enrich himself, in breach of the law, at the expense of shareholders.” Black and three others are scheduled to go on trial in Chicago next month for a variety of charges involving their conduct as executives of Hollinger. CanWest […]

Judge Favors Toy Chain Over Amazon A New Jersey Superior Court judge ruled in favor of Toys R Us in their suit against Amazon and severed the 10-year agreement (signed in 2000) between the two companies, allowing the toy retailer to go form its own internet store. (No monetary damages were awarded.) But Amazon spokesperson Patty Smith said the company “strongly disagrees with the judge’s ruling in this case’ and is considering an appeal. MSNBC Greenspan Speaks There is no convention-wide keynote speaker for this year’s BEA (that slot usually was featured at the end of the day Thursday) but […]

Deal Reports Just e-mail to deals@PublishersMarketplace if you aren’t using the online form linked below. Report a deal using the online form The Key As usual, the handy key to our Lunch deal categories. While all reports are always welcome, those that include a category will generally receive a higher listing when it comes time to put them all together. “nice deal” $1 – $49,000 “very nice deal” $50,000 – $99,000 “good deal” $100,000 – $250,000 “significant deal” $251,000 – $499,000 “major deal” $500,000 and up FICTION Debut Joe McGinniss Jr.’s first novel THE DELIVERY MAN, a portrait of today’s […]

Please Note Today is parents’ today and then I’m on the road, so this meal is being served early. We’ll have updates at the PublishersMarketplace.com home page as appropriate later in the day. Similar to this scoop that we posted there last night: It’s Almost Perseus Yesterday evening, after a long day of meetings, Perseus reports that AMS and the creditors committee informed them that they will recommend the Perseus bid to Judge Sontchi for his approval at a hearing scheduled for 11:30 today. (Also scheduled for consideration today is the bid procedures and other elements of the filing related […]