Maurice Sendak dead at 83
Legendary author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, best known for Where the Wild Things Are, died in Connecticut today. He was 83. Earlier this year, Bumble-Ardy was published, the first work in 30 years...
View ArticlePopular authors increase output, some doubling to two books a year, to meet...
Pity the poor authors in the days of the ebook. Whereas popular authors such as Lisa Scottoline used to produce one book a year, now they are writing two; while others such as Lee Child are churning...
View ArticleMexican novelist, Carlos Fuentes, dies aged 83
Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes has passed away at the age of 83, he was the winner of the Miguel de Cervantes Prize and the Latin Literary Prize. President Felipe Calderon wrote on Twitter, "I deeply...
View ArticleJean Craighead George, author of 100 books for young people including 'My...
Distinguished childrens book author and noted naturalist Jean Craighead George died on May 15. She was 92. Best known for the Newbery-winning novel Julie of the Wolves (Harper, 1972) and the Newbery...
View ArticleHoughton Mifflin Hracourt files for bankruptcy
In an official statement earlier today, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced that it had "filed a 'pre-packaged' comprehensive financial restructuring plan that will strengthen the Company financially...
View ArticleCellphone company Orange drops sponsorship of UK Women's Prize for Fiction
Cellphone company Orange has announced that it will no longer be supporting the UK based Women's Prize for Fiction, which it has sponsored since the award was founded 17 years ago. The organization is...
View Article10 million copies of Fifty Shades of Grey sold in 6 weeks - that's 25% of all...
Vintage have sold 10 million copies of the Fifty Shades of Grey series in just 6 weeks (total of paperback, ebook and audio). That's an unprecedented number of copies representing 25% of all adult...
View ArticleUnder 10% of self-published authors earn a living from their writing
Self-published writers who have an agent, or who use the DIY route to get a traditional deal, earn much more than the average self-published writer, according to a survey of more than 1,000...
View ArticleApple says U.S. e-book lawsuit 'fundamentally flawed'
In a filing on Tuesday, Apple called the Justice Department's suit against it over the agency model for e-books "fundamentally flawed as a matter of fact and law" and said the suit will discourage...
View ArticleBookExpo America will broadcast live author appearances for the first time
For the first time, BookExpo America is making author appearances at the show available for viewing online live or on demand, via Livestream. It is anticipated that 20 hours of live coverage from the...
View ArticleMadeline Miller wins Orange Prize
Madeline Miller has won the UK's 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction with her debut novel, The Song of Achilles, a story of same-sex romance set in the Greek age of heroes.
View ArticleSony sells 500,000 e-readers in Europe
The Sony Reader WIFI or PRS-T1 originally went on sale in Europe back in October 2011. Since that time they have sold close to 500,000 units in the UK, France, Spain, Germany and other major markets....
View ArticleSci-fi author Ray Bradbury dead at 91
Ray Bradbury, author of classic books such as Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles died on Tuesday June 5th in Southern California.
View ArticleNatasha Trethewey to be next poet laureate
The Library of Congress will announce today that the next USA poet laureate is Natasha Trethewey. Ms. Trethewey, 46, born in Mississippi., is the first Southerner to hold the post since Robert Penn...
View ArticleAuthor Barry Unsworth dies aged 81
Author Barry Unsworth has died aged 81. Compared to authors such as William Golding and Joseph Conrad, his historical novels spanned the Ottoman, the Venetian and the British hegemony, and the middle...
View ArticleGoogle reaches agreement to scan French books
Google reports that it has reached an agreement in France that could bring back to life thousands of out-of-print works. The French Publishers Association and the Société des Gens de Lettres, an...
View ArticleSainsbury's buys 64% stake in Anobii
Saiinsbury's, Britain's third largest supermarket group now owns 64% stake of Anobii, which has over 600,000 users worldwide and a library of 60,000 ebooks. Sainsbury's purchase of HMV Group's...
View ArticleUS State Dept likely to spend $16.5 million on Kindles
The U.S. State Department is considering a no-bid, $16.5 million contract with Amazon to provide Kindle Touches for its overseas language-education programs. In a document justifying the no-bid...
View ArticleMarch book sales down 7%, but up 6.2% year to date.
USA total net book sales fell 7% in March compared with the same time last year. For the year to date, net book sales have risen 6.2%. Children's/YA e-books kept up its strong rate of growth, rising 174%
View ArticlePenguin to re-enter library e-book market
In the past year, Penguin Group USA has slowly pulled away from the library e-book market. Now it is tiptoeing back in. The publisher is working with New York City libraries and 3M on a pilot program...
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