Donald Trump’s lawyer Joseph Tacopina sent a letter to Mark Pomerantz, author of forthcoming PEOPLE VS. DONALD TRUMP, threatening to “aggressively pursue all legal remedies” against the author and publisher Simon & Schuster if the book is published. The book is due out on February 7. Tacopina’s letter claims Pomerantz has made defamatory statements about Trump, specifically referencing Pomerantz’s resignation letter submitted to the New York County District Attorney’s Office, which is reportedly reproduced in the book. Pomerantz, who was a prosecutor in the criminal investigation of Trump brought by former DA Cy Vance in 2021, wrote that Trump is […]
Booktopia to Cut Staff and Expenses
Australian retailer Booktopia announced that it would cut 30 to 40 jobs (or 10 to 15 percent of employees) and implement other cost-cutting plans, “to improve shareholder returns and in response to changing consumer sentiment, greater competition online and inflation.” A company spokesperson told the Brisbane Times that the layoffs are predominantly in “administrative roles.” Booktopia chairman Peter George said, “Letting some of our talented staff go as part of these cost-cutting initiatives is a disappointing but necessary step in these economic times.” He also noted, “Booktopia is focused on building a profitable, sustainable business in the interests of all […]
New Books Publishing January 24
Notable releases this week include new novels from Paul Harding, Aleksandar Hemon, and Brad Taylor, as well as nonfiction by David Graeber and Lisa Guerrero. Also out this week is new work from Iliana Regan, excerpted in our Buzz Books 2022: Fall/Winter anthology, and Kate Clayborn’s Georgie, All Along, available in our Buzz Books 2022: Romance sampler. 15 works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-january-24 12 nonfiction titles https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-january-24 We consult a number of sources in compiling our weekly lists and PM members can see our lists for the coming three months through this reference page. But if you want to make sure your key […]
Excerpt: Steve Rubin’s “Words and Music”
Today is publication day for longtime publisher Stephen Rubin’s memoir, Words and Music: Confessions of an Optimist. As promised, the book is a deliciously candid (sometimes impolitic) account of his illustrious career, covering both his hits and his missteps, and sharing stories about some of the industry’s best-known personalities. The following excerpt, from the chapter “More Corporate Claptrap” — Rubin notes a few times, “I have always said that corporations do dumb things” — is just a taste, recounting his final days at Random House. Why didn’t it work for me as Random House’s Publisher at Large? Why was the […]
People 1/23
Kristen Luby joins Abrams as associate director, school & library marketing. She was previously senior marketing manager, school & library at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.
Obituary: Eileen Ahearn
Eileen Ahearn, 75, best-known as a former administrator of the James Baldwin Estate, passed away after a short illness on January 6. Ahearn began her career in publishing as a typist at Random House in the early 1970s, alongside the late Carolyn Reidy, with whom she would work and consult over five decades. She served as secretary to Toni Morrison when she was an editor, which turned into a lifelong bond. For the last nearly 30 years of her career, she worked as a consultant with Reidy at Simon & Schuster, retiring in 2020.