Charles Bock's Beautiful Children Offered FREE

Hi Everyone, in a surprise move, Random House is offering Charles Bock's debut novel, an instant bestseller, for FREE via download, beginning at midnight Feberuary 27. Read on for details.

ONLINE RETAILERS AND CUSTOMERS OFFERED

FREE DOWNLOAD OF CHARLES BOCK’S BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN

NEW YORK, NY/2/26/2008--Building on the momentum created by the publication of Charles Bock’s debut novel BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN—a novel Newsweek recently called “the book of the moment”--the Random House Publishing Group will offer the entire book as a free PDF download from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, February 27 until midnight on Friday, February 29. The free download, which can be shared, emailed or printed, will be available on www.beautifulchildren.net/read.

In a unique collaboration, Random House has also invited both chain and independent online retailers to participate. Thus far, Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com, Powell’s and Northshire Books have agreed to make the file available to their customers.

An immediate New York Times bestseller now on bestseller lists across the country, BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN is a fearless, masterful panorama of Las Vegas, and the web of lonely children and adults hiding from their past and searching for salvation as they weave their way through the neon underworld. In her New York Times Book Review cover review, Liesl Schillinger summed it up: “One word: bravo.”

“I want people to read the book,” said Charles Bock, who spent more than ten years writing the novel. “If that means giving it away for free on-line, great.”

“The book really struck a chord with readers as bookstore sales have demonstrated,” commented Avideh Bashirrad, Deputy Director of Marketing for the Random House imprint, who oversaw the execution of this initiative. “We believe it has even more potential readers out there, and the best way to reach them is online, with this unrestricted access.”

Random House will be supporting the free download with national print advertising, targeted college newspaper and blog advertising, and a viral email campaign.

Listen to the Authorlink audio interview with Charles Bock

Authorlink Book to Become Hallmark Movie

Hi Everyone,

The big news at Authorlink this week is that a book we published via Authorlink Press is the basis for a soon-to-be produced Hallmark Movie. Congratulations to Ginnie Bivona, author of Ida Mae Tutweiler and the Traveling Tea Party. Read more below.

While book sales slumped in December, the overall figures were up ever so slightly say the American Booksellers Association and the Association of American Publishers. On the down side, Simon & Schuster has cut three editorial staff members from its children's unit.

News Updated Every Thursday
Last Update: February 21, 2008

S&S Children’s Unit Re-Structures, Cuts Three Jobs

ABA, AAP See Gain in Book Sales For the Year

Borders Unveils First Concept Store; Digital Features Abound

Authorlink Author Bivona's Book to Become Hallmark TV Movie

BISG to Explore How Publishers Cope in Digital Age

CBS Films Options Feature Films Based On Flynn's Mitch Rapp

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Hollywood Book Festival Recognizes Books Suited to Film

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UK REPORT
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Updated February 21, 2008

Rich & Judy Spur Phenomenal Sales For Book Club Choice

Retailers Warned:Excessive Discounts Bad in Long-Term

Guinness World Records Finds New Owner

Staff Review At Scholastic Results in Departures

Heather Graham

Hi Everyone,

Just a reminder to check out Heather Graham's new short story available for download on CelebWire. It's called BLOOD DROPS, a new mini mystery from the characters of her latest novel, The Seance. Also check out stories by other bestselling authors Jacquelyn Mitchard and Elmer Kelton. And guess who's coming to CelebWire April 1? All are available for download on your cell phones, too.

Striking Writers Due to Resume Work This Week

Hi, Everyone,

It looks as if the long Hollywood writers strike is almost over. The Writers Guild of America's board of directors were due to meet today to officially lift the strike. At this point, they're calling it a tentative agreement, but most observers say writers will be back at their desks this week.

Meanwhile, I'll be in New York covering the O'Reilly Tools of Change for Publishers conference, bringing you the latest developments from the convention on Thursday, February 14 our official news day.

Meanwhile, here are the latest developments on the strike:


HOLLYWOOD, CA/2/11/2008--Hollywood writers were expected to return to work the week of February 11, ending a costly three-month-old writers strike by the Writers Guild of America. According to ABC News, writers were encouraged over the weekend to accept the latest contract proposal. A Saturday general membership meeting was followed Sunday by an executive meeting where board members were expected to officially lift the strike against major production studios. Results of that meeting were blacked out to media.

The new Guild contract, described by some insiders as "less than perfect," though better than if they had not called a strike, will take another two weeks to fully ratify, but writers are due to return to their desks by mid-week, meaning that shows such as "House" and "Grey's Anatomy", "CSI" could flesh out the season with new episodes.

The agreement guarantees that writers will receive residuals for work appearing on the Internet or other new media such as cell phones. For many writers, residual payments for previous work keep them fed between jobs. However, concerns remain that if the Internet replaces what is now known as television, writers could make considerably less money when their work is redisplayed. One potentially sticky issue is whether production studios will have the right to stream works over the Internet just 24 days after a television program airs, without paying residuals to the writers. The WGA hasn't discussed some of the finer details of the contract with the media. We'll report more details as they develop.
It is the first time in 20 years the WGA has struck. The walkout, which began in November 2007, has involved more than 10,000 WGA members, and has cost an estimated $1.9 billion in lost wages throughout the television and film industry.

Publishers Support Plame; Barnes & Noble Downgraded

Hi Everyone,

Reviewing this week's publishing news, Three items are of particular interest. Most important for the U.S. is that Barnes & Noble's stock position has been downgraded by JPMorgan, signaling tough times ahead for the world's largest bookseller. In addition to print sales, big battles loom between publishers, agents, and authors on the digital market for e-books. We hope you find this week's stories useful as you chart your own course in the publishing business. Let us know what you think. And don't forget to sign up to our new Authorlink news alert (link below). For links to these stories click authorlink.com

News Updated Every Thursday
Last Update: February 7, 2008

--Publishers Support Valerie Plame in CIA Lawsuit

--JPMorgan Downgrades Barnes & Noble to Neutral, Signaling Tough Times Ahead

--HarperCollins Sees $13 million Gain In Second Quarter

--Book Publishers Annual Meeting to Look to the Future

--Barnes & Noble Announces Finalists for the 15th Annual Discover New Writers Awards

--Court Dismisses Authors' Case Against Regnery

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--Little Brown Wants 15% on E-Books; Agents Concerned

--WHSmith Holiday Sales Show Books Remain A Core Business

--Bankrupt Bargain Books Chain Garners Investor Interest

--Faber Reports Record-Breaking Sales for the Year


--Book Sense Bestsellers
Updated Weekly

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Publishers Back Valerie Plame in CIA Lawsuit

Hi Everyone,

The news just broke a few hours ago that the 300-member Association of American Publishers is pressuring a federal appeals court to reverse it's ruling which forbids former CIA operative Valerie Plane Wilson from mentioning the dates of her CIA employment in her memoir. The publishers say it's public knowledge, but the CIA argues that revealing the dates within specific contexts could threaten national security. Here's the release the AAP sent Authorlink today. Since the hardcover book was published in October by Simon & Schuster (sans the dates, per court order), it isn't clear whether S&S would add the dates in an updated hardcover edition, or perhaps rush out a paperback release timed with the presidential election?

Publishers Support
Valerie Plame
in CIA Lawsuit

Washington, DC, 2/6/2008--The Association of American Publishers (AAP), joined by 11 groups representing a wide spectrum of media and free-speech interests, is urging a federal appeals court to reverse a ruling which forbids “outed” former CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson from mentioning the dates of her CIA employment in her recently published memoir. The government’s redactions were made despite the fact that Ms. Wilson had received an unclassified letter from a CIA benefits official clearly spelling out the dates of her employment and that this letter was introduced at House hearings, was published in the Congressional Record, and is widely available on the Internet.

Last May, with publication of her memoir just months away, Wilson and her publisher Simon & Schuster sought a ruling from a federal district court in New York that the government was imposing an unlawful prior restraint in demanding that she remove from the book all mention of the dates of her CIA employment prior to 2002. The government filed a cross-motion for summary judgment, and in August the court granted the government’s motion, finding that the information had been properly classified by the CIA, had never been declassified, and was not “officially acknowledged” by the agency. The book, Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, was published in October with the redactions clearly shown, accompanied by a note from the publisher explaining what had been done and why. The book also contained an afterword by journalist Laura Rozen providing the historical context that Ms. Wilson was unable to include herself.

The amicus brief, filed February 5 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, points out that as a result of the district court decision, “any member of the public can access and freely disseminate the pre-2002 dates of Wilson’s CIA employment, but Wilson herself cannot,” a result that the brief calls “perverse.” While not taking issue with the high level of deference ordinarily given to CIA classification decisions by the courts, the brief asserts that “the circumstances presented here—Wilson is seeking to publish under her own name autobiographical information that is readily accessible to the public—demand searching judicial scrutiny of [the government’s] justifications,” particularly in view of the strong constitutional presumption against prior restraints. The brief points out the irony that the case “involves the government’s efforts to censor purportedly classified public-domain information from a book that describes the wrongful disclosure to the media of classified information by senior government officials.”

Among the groups who joined AAP in filing the brief are the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the ALA-affiliated Freedom to Read Foundation, the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the Radio-Television News Directors Association, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The brief, which can be found online at: http://www.publishers.org/main/PressCenter/documents/07-4244-cvWilsonvMcConnellAmicusCuriaeBrief.pdf was written by AAP’s Freedom to Read counsel Bruce Rich and Jonathan Bloom of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.

The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s approximately 300 members include most of the major commercial book publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, post-secondary and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software and electronic products and services. The Association represents an industry whose very existence depends upon the free exercise of rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Barnes & Noble Headed for Tougher Times

JPMorgan Downgrades
Barnes & Noble
to Neutral

JPMorgan has downgraded Barnes & Noble, the world's largest bookseller, to "neutral" in anticipation of a very tough year for the company in 2008. The announcement came Tuesday from Boston. Read the full story at TradingMarkets.com

Barnes & Noble's disappointing holiday sales may foreshadow a tough year, which JPMorgan said is "structurally challenged" in a competitive marketplace.

Barnes & Noble reported a 0.4% holiday comp decline in early January, well below expectations for "low single digit" growth.

Historically, book industry growth slows in election years as customers focus on media events and debates in lieu of bookstore browsing, said a spokesperson for JPMorgan, which believes the slowdown may be more pronounced in 2008 given an anticipated tight presidential race.

S&S Names New Digital VP

Hi Everyone,

Here's a special announcement from Simon & Schuster that looks interesting. They have actually created a special new position just for the managemnet of digital initiatives inside the company. The big New York houses are at last making significant inroads into the digital world. Simon & Schuster bears watching closely in coming months under the leadership of Elinor Hirschhorn, who comes to the book world from a background in television.


ELINOR HIRSCHHORN NAMED EXECUTIVE
VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER
OF SIMON & SCHUSTER, INC.


NEW YORK, NY/2/4/2008--Elinor Hirschhorn has been named to the newly created position of Executive Vice President, Chief Digital Officer of Simon & Schuster, Inc., it was announced today by Carolyn Reidy, President and CEO of Simon & Schuster.

Ms. Hirschhorn will have responsibility for the full scope of the company’s activities in the digital realm. Under her management, the company will integrate, into one business unit, functions including strategy and new business development, consumer-focused digital marketing including cross title platforms, the company website SimonSays.com, electronic publishing, and the digital infrastructure and distribution system that the company is currently building.

Ms. Hirschhorn comes to Simon & Schuster from College Sports Television Networks (CSTV) where she was Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy, and prior to that Executive Vice President, Digital Media. She has served as Chief Operating Officer of MusicNet, a leading internet music wholesaler, and has held numerous high-level positions in digital media and business development and strategy at Viacom and MTV Networks, including General Manager of MTV.com.

“Digital initiatives are a top priority for Simon & Schuster, and we are determined to avail ourselves to the maximum extent of the digital era opportunities to find, interact, and deliver content instantaneously and around the clock to our readers worldwide,” said Carolyn Reidy. “Ellie’s wide-ranging experience in digital media, strategy and business development will help us to find new models that will support and enhance our publishing efforts.”

Ellie Hirschhorn added: “Publishing is at an exciting and transitional moment, with both the nature of books and the relationship among authors, publishers and their readers evolving in new ways. Simon & Schuster has a culture that embraces this opportunity, and a world-class list of authors and books upon which to build a digital future. I look forward to joining them.”

Ms. Hirschhorn, 45, holds a BA from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Fiduciary Trust Company International, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center. She lives in New York City.

Recent digital initiatives at Simon & Schuster include the launch of bookvideos.tv, a site for viewing online videos of authors; the Electronic Author Visit program developed in conjunction with Ball State University; and the construction of the company’s digital archive and distribution system.

Simon & Schuster, a part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonsays.com

BN Picks Finalists for New Writers Awards

Barnes & Noble, Inc. today (Feb. 1, 2008) announced the finalists for its prestigious 2007 Discover Great New Writers Awards. Winners in each category, fiction and nonfiction, receive a $10,000 prize and a full year of additional promotion from Barnes & Noble. Second-place finalists receive $5,000, and third-place finalists, $2,500. The finalists are:

Fiction

Matthew Eck, The Farther Shore (Milkweed Editions)
Joshua Ferris, Then We Came to the End (Little, Brown)
Vendela Vida, Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name (Ecco Books)

Nonfiction

Kate Braestrup, Here If You Need Me: A True Story (Little, Brown) Elizabeth D. Samet, Soldier's Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) Yaroslav Trofimov, The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine and the Birth of Al Qaeda (Doubleday)

The winners will be announced on Wednesday, February 27, at a private awards ceremony. At 7:00 p.m. that evening, all six finalists are invited to read from their work at Barnes & Noble's Lincoln Triangle store in New York City (1972 Broadway at 66th Street). The Discover Awards honor the best works featured the previous calendar year in the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers program.

The Finalists

Matthew Eck's harrowing fiction debut, The Farther Shore, is a riveting exploration of contemporary warfare. A veteran of the U.S. Army efforts in Somalia, Eck places readers amidst the swirling dust and stifling fear of a small band of U.S. soldiers as they anticipate an ambush from an invisible assailant. His characters, seemingly abandoned by their command, wrestle with moral and personal demons to chilling effect. Then We Came to the End, Joshua Ferris' comic first novel, was a finalist for the National Book Award. The story of a declining advertising agency and its malcontented denizens, Ferris' characters are so realistic, readers will think he's been spying on the antics at their own offices.

The frozen, silent landscape of Lapland - home of the reindeer people - is the setting for Vendela Vida's ambitious second novel, Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name. Her indomitable protagonist, a New Yorker in search of her true heritage, peels away an onionskin of lies to embrace a history she could never have imagined.

Here If You Need Me is Kate Braestrup's poignantly crafted memoir, which invites readers to ride shotgun with her as a chaplain in the game warden service. Set in Maine, and filled with stories both heartwarming and tragic, Braestrup's book is a celebration of nature and life. A passion for literature led Elizabeth Samet to West Point, where she's spent a decade teaching cadets. The result of her work is captured in Soldier's Heart, an affecting book that should be required reading for dispirited Americans. Yaroslav Trofimov, a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, employs a stunning you-are-there immediacy in The Siege of Mecca, an historical portrait of a little-remembered battle that presaged the terrorism of today.

The Jurists
Two panels of distinguished literary jurists selected the finalists and will select the winners. Serving as this year's fiction jurists are Louisa Ermelino, the author of the novels Joey Dee Gets Wise and The Black Madonna; John Burnham Schwartz, the author of The Commoner, and whose novel, Reservation Road, was released as a feature film last fall; and Rupert Thomson, the author of many novels, the most recent of which was Death of a Murderer.

This year's nonfiction judges include Lucinda Franks, author of My Father's Secret War; Dr. Perri Klass, whose most recent book was Treatment Kind and Fair: Letters to a Young Doctor; and Robert Kurson, bestselling author of Shadow Divers, and most recently, Crashing Through.

The Discover Great New Writers program was established in 1990 to highlight works of exceptional literary quality that might otherwise be overlooked in a crowded book marketplace.