How Could This Not Be Our Lead Story? Keith Kelly buries one of his most important stories in months: formerly influential media critic Michael Wolff has reportedly sworn off Michael’s restaurant after they couldn’t get him a table for lunch on Wednesday. (Can you just imagine the conversation in which he had to explain to his date that he couldn’t get a table at Michael’s?) “It’s war,” Wolff tells the NY Post. “I’m officially shopping for The Next Place.” But he can’t leave it at that: “I mean, $150 for track lighting. The place is tawdry looking.” One sign that […]

Personnel News Disney’s Children’s Book Group has announced a slate of executive promotions. At Hyperion Books for Children, executive editor Donna Bray moves up to editorial director. The Disney Press and Disney Editions lines will be consolidated under Disney veteran Wendy Lefkon, who will serve as editorial director. And Victoria Saxon has been promoted to executive editor, overseeing feature animation and classic characters. All three will report to Disney Children’s editor-in-chief Brenda Bowen. At Scholastic, Ann Marie Resnick has been hired for the new position of vp, marketing and promotion in the book club division. She was vp, marketing at […]

Is Huffington Puffing? Ariana Huffington continues to play out her big “scoop” on Judith Miller, and has upgraded the Huffington Post’s standard of proof: Yesterday’s third-hand report (“sources tell me that Judy Miller is telling friends”) has been emphatically refined to definitive second or third-hand confirmation. To wit: “Miller has absolutely, positively been telling friends that she has a $1.2 million book deal. Period. The end.” Yesterday we made the mistake of assuming that Huffington’s “update” on a conversation with Simon & Schuster president Carolyn Reidy was complete and accurate — when it was apparently presented to serve Huffington’s ends, […]

Miller Might; Cooper Will; Chandra and Others Did Yesterday Ariana Huffington reported in the Huffington Post: “Sources tell me that Judy Miller is telling friends that she has made a $1.2 million book deal with Simon & Schuster. I’ve heard from senior editors at the publishing house that the deal is still so hush-hush that word of it has not appeared in the memos that circulate among the editorial staff, keeping them updated on pending deals and acquisitions.” Then Huffington said in a subsequent conversation, S&S president Carolyn Reidy told her: “There is no signed deal for the book — […]

Deals Done, and One In Progress Already in new deal reports on top of last night’s big round-up, two more from David Mitchell again to Random in the US and UK; Ian Falconer’s fourth OLIVIA is set for next June; Norman Pearlstine writes on “the use and misuse of anonymous sources” for Nan A. Talese; Tish Cohen’s first novel goes to Harper at auction; and more rolling in. Meanwhile, an auction for world rights to Eric Clapton’s memoir is set to close on Wednesday — and he has reportedly turned down an offer of 2.5 million pounds. Agent Ed Victor, […]

Place Your Nobel Bets It’s time for the annual rumors about who will win the Nobel Prize for Literature — but since the Swedish Academy does such a good job of keeping quiet (and such a good job of picking obscure writers), the rumors are modest. British bookmakers have Syrian poet Adonis as the 2-1 favorite, followed by South Korean poet Ko Un and Swedish poet Thomas Transtromer. As is often the case, Joyce Carol Oates and Milan Kundera are also among the betting favorites. The winner will be named on October 6. Also on the never-ending awards front, the […]