Publishing Wottakar’s urge to merge may go forward By Carmen on Nov. 28, 2005 - 9:00 AM But if it does, it won’t happen until Friday, which leaves the UK publishing industry on tenterhooks, to say the least. The lowdown, for those not paying attention? HMV is the parent company of Waterstone’s, that behem ...
Reviews No Brownies This Week, Sam ! By Neal on Nov. 28, 2005 - 8:32 AM Sarah’s got the NYTBR Notable Books list covered (look for her dispatch later today), but here’s some scattered thoughts about the current issue: Note to John Simon: If you’re going to take up part of your review ...
Trends Some quotes are best left unadorned By Carmen on Nov. 28, 2005 - 8:17 AM It’s not surprising that the NYT would want to hop on the so-called “literary celebrity” bandwagon with this side-by-side comparison of Nicole Richie’s faux-memoir THE TRUTH ABOUT DIAMONDS and 50 Cent’ ...
Adaptation You Will See Lion, Witch, Wardrobe By Neal on Nov. 25, 2005 - 3:28 PM A few weeks ago, I took a look at some of the early hype around The Chronicles of Narnia. WSJ reporter Merissa Marr files a more current look at Disney’s marketing plans, which include overtures to “a panoply of specia ...
Book Biz And This Is News Why, Exactly? By Neal on Nov. 25, 2005 - 2:44 PM From today’s Page Six item about Oprah Winfrey’s self-scuttled book deal: “A decade ago, Knopf paid the talk-show queen a bundle for her memoir, to be written with Joan Barthel of A Murder in Canaan fame. Oprah w ...
Digital Times Google Week Peters Out By Neal on Nov. 25, 2005 - 2:16 PM Well, that two-story-a-day pace couldn’t last forever: Since my last check-in on Tuesday’s edition, the Times hasn’t filed any substantial stories on Google. Luckily, I didn’t have to go into complete withd ...
Authors The popcorn is ready to be eaten By Carmen on Nov. 23, 2005 - 11:34 AM One of the things that struck me as odd about Cindy Sheehan’s upcoming book is why she went with a tiny Hawaiian publisher when she could have had the New York bigwigs at her beck and call. Well, as it turns out, she may wel ...
Bookselling The ultimate in bookstore follies By Carmen on Nov. 23, 2005 - 11:26 AM Even after many years, sometimes it just seems like the right time to get out of a business. And for Dick & Caren Lobo, owners of Sarasota News & Books, the time was now. So they started the process of looking for someone ...
Revolving Door Coolman on Her Way to Big Apple By Neal on Nov. 23, 2005 - 11:24 AM PW Daily has the story on Marie Coolman’s shift from Random House to Penguin Putnam this morning, as Ballantine’s veteran West Coast publicity chief takes a new post as marketing director for Hudson Street and Plume. I ...
Awards Lessening the IMPAC By Carmen on Nov. 23, 2005 - 9:29 AM First, a caveat: I don’t understand why the Impac Dublin Literary Award has to longlist so many books. Is there any earthly reason to put out a press release that 132 of the so-called year’s finest (that year being, uh ...