In a story that unfolded all last week, The Believer magazine was recently purchased by Paradise Media, a digital marketing company specializing in SEO. The purchase was flagged on Twitter after people noticed that one of the magazine’s articles had been replaced by clickbait content titled “25 Best Hookup Sites for Flings, New Trysts, and Casual Dating.” The Believer was purchased by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’s Black Mountain Institute from McSweeney’s in 2017 for $650,000, and was shuttered this spring. UNLV College of Liberal Arts dean Jennifer Keene cited financial problems: “The Believer consumed a significant portion of […]
People 5/13
Michael Rentas has joined Artbook | DAP as vp, chief financial & operating officer. He was previously at Ingram Content Group.
School and Library Book Bans Go Digital, Restricting Entire Collections
At least three counties have removed access to e-reading apps used by schools and libraries in a continued effort to restrict children’s access to books, NBC News reports. In Tennessee, Texas, and Florida, a few parents have objected to digital reading platforms, including OverDrive and Epic, aiming to restrict access to books on gender, race, and LGBTQ+ themes. The apps became even more widely used due to the pandemic and virtual schooling. These bans affect all users, not just individual students, and all titles — removing access to entire digital collections of books for the sake of restricting a few, […]
Bookselling: Houston B&N to Close After 28 Years
The Vanderbilt Square Barnes & Noble in Houston will close June 19 after 28 years in business. Barnes & Noble said they didn’t want to close the store, but their landlord decided not to renew their lease.
ILP Acquires Estates of Marsh, Rule and Thirkell
International Literary Properties (ILP) announced the acquisition of three more literary estates, in whole or in part: A majority interest in the literary estate of New Zealand crime novelist Dame Ngaio Marsh; a majority interest in the literary estate of American true crime author Ann Rule; and full ownership of the literary works of British author Angela Thirkell. CEO of ILP UK and Europe Hilary Strong said in the release: “I have been lucky enough to work closely with a number of crime estates, amongst them Agatha Christie and Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh is undoubtedly one of the masters […]