The End for Books? No Way

Hi Everyone,

Last week an article appeared in New York magazine titled, "The End" for book publishing. What a "woe is we" attitude. Sure, the books of today and the future are changing form, but human stories will never change. Read our take on the article below, then go to the full item. Lots of interesting stuff also going on with Google's new Book Preview, and Borders Backlot, too.

News Headlines
Thursday September 25, 2008
(updated each Thursday)

• Google Launches New Book Preview
• Magazine Article Predicting The End Has Publishers Buzzing
  Publish Post
• Harlequin Launches New Nonfiction Imprint
• Borders Backlot Offers Film Clips
• Barton Heads eSpecials; Penguin Seeks Author Entries
• BISG Brings XML Workflow to Publishing
• Newly Discovered Agatha Christie Tapes May Be Published

Debut Novelists Shortlisted for Booker Prize

Hi Everyone,

For all you writers out there, it's a good idea to pick up the novels on the short list for the Man Booker Prize and study them for structure. UK writers are particularly good storytellers.

Debut Novelists Shortlisted
For Man Booker Prize

LONDON/9/9/2008--The Man Booker Prize 2008 shortlist was announced Tuesday September 9.Two first-time novelists, Aravind Adiga and Steve Toltz, survived the cull of the longlist from thirteen novels to just six. Previous winners of the Booker Prize, John Berger and Salman Rushdie, failed to make this year's shortlist and Sebastian Barry is the only novelist shortlisted for this year's prize to have been previously shortlisted (in 2005).

Linda Grant, winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2000 and longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2002, is the only female author to make the shortlist of six. She is joined by Philip Hensher, longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2002 and a Booker judge in 2001, and the widely-acclaimed Indian writer Amitav Ghosh.

The Man Booker Prize 2008 shortlisted novels are:

Aravind Adiga The White Tiger (Atlantic)
Sebastian Barry The Secret Scripture (Faber and Faber)
Amitav Ghosh Sea of Poppies (John Murray)
Linda Grant The Clothes on Their Backs (Virago)
Philip Hensher The Northern Clemency (Fourth Estate)
Steve Toltz A Fraction of the Whole (Hamish Hamilton)

This year's judging panel is chaired by Michael Portillo former MP and Cabinet Minister. He is joined by Alex Clark, editor of Granta; Louise Doughty, novelist; James Heneage, founder of Ottakar's bookshops and Hardeep Singh Kohli, TV and radio broadcaster.

Michael Portillo, Chair of judges, commented today: "The judges commend the six titles to readers with great enthusiasm. These novels are intensely readable, each of them an extraordinary example of imagination and narrative. These fine page-turning stories nonetheless raise highly thought-provoking ideas and issues. These books are in every case both ambitious and approachable."

The judging panel had to read over 112 entries before whittling down the list to the Man Booker Dozen (13 titles) and then again to just six titles. They will meet to decide on the winning novel on Tuesday 14 October, and the author will be award the £50,000 prize money at an awards ceremony later on that evening at Guildhall, London.

See more at Mann Booker Prize

Meet the New Senior Editor at Perigee Books

Hi Everyone,

Those you who are writing in the areas of craft, creativity and popular reference, will be interested to know that Meg Leder has been promoted to senior editor at Perigee Books. That probably means she'll have the clout to acquire more titles there.

Meg Leder Promoted
to Senior Editor, Perigee Books

Meg Leder has been promoted to Senior Editor, Perigee Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), it was announced today by John Duff, Publisher of Perigee Books. Ms. Leder has previously held editorial positions at Chamberlain Bros, McGraw-Hill, and F+W Publications. “Since joining Perigee in 2005,” said Duff, “ Meg has added a whole new dimension to Perigee’s publishing program with her acquisitions, particularly in the categories of craft, creativity, and popular reference. Her current successes include Wreck This Journal , a unique work that has become an underground phenomenon with more than 150,000 copies in print and is selling more briskly now than when it was first published a year ago. Her diligence in tracking down projects is unparalleled as witnessed by the six-month-long negotiation to secure world English-language rights to Sock and Glove, the utterly charming and bestselling craft book for which she also appeared on the Martha Stewart television show. Meg has also contributed to solid prescriptive nonfiction books that form the backbone of Perigee’s list and guided major revisions and repackaging of backlist titles into production and to successful re-launch.”

Random House COO Departs

HI Everyone,

We have just learned that Ed Volini, deputy chairman and chief operating officer of Random House North America, is leaving the company September 30. It is the first big change since Markus Dohle became CEO earlier this year, saying that there would be no significant changes. Volini has been with the Random House since 1997, most recently as chief financial officer of Ballantine, an RH division, before taking on his current role in January 2003. His job has been to oversee acquisitions, finances, human resources, legal and administrative operations. Those who reported to him will now report directly to Dohle.