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 […]

SEC Starts Civil Charges Against AMS; “It’s possible that other suits will be filed” Following the plea entered by former AMS employee Mary Roke on two criminal charges (covered here yesterday), the SEC filed additional civil charges against her, in a complaint that alleges “that AMS fraudulently overstated its earnings through two schemes. The SEC “alleges that the fraudulent schemes caused AMS to overstate its pre-tax earnings by about 9% in fiscal year 2001, 10% in fiscal year 2002, and 19% in fiscal year 2003.” The commission also says that their “investigation is continuing.” SEC Pacific regional office director Randall […]

Sorry The service that processes our mail was down almost all day yesterday, so even though Lunch was prepared for mid-day digestion, it didn’t get served until late last night. If you checked PublishersMarketplace.com, however, it was posted there right on time. In case you didn’t know, Lunch is posted at the site every day, right around when the mail is supposed to go out. So if your e-mail ever goes astray (or your links aren’t working properly), check to see if it’s up at the site. We post under the “Lunch Archive” tab on the left, and the first […]

NYT Announces Revamped TBR The NY Times has a release out describing their expanded Sunday Book Review Section and broader cultural coverage. They say that TBR “will become more magazine-like.” Officially announced changes include 25 percent more editorial space, with “more reviews of intellectual and historical titles and more attention to commercial fiction, mysteries and romance novels.” In Brief reviews will be dropped entirely, in favor of the group theme essays that have been appearing already. The bestseller list will be “expanded” in ways that are not specified, and children’s bestsellers will get a new listing for series books. As […]

Trade Groups Sue Federal Government A long-simmering dispute between academic publishers and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) over restrictions on publishing work originating from countries under economic sanctions (including Iran, Cuba and Sudan) has risen to a new level. The Professional and Scholarly Division of the Association of American Publishers, the Association of American University Presses, the PEN American Center and Arcade Publishing have jointly filed suit against the Treasury Department in a New York federal court. The parties are asking the court to strike down regulations that require publishers and authors to acquire a government […]