-
Abrams to Publish George Harrison Book
Abrams has bought world rights to George Harrison’s widow, Olivia Harrison’s book about her late husband. Living in the Material World: George Harrison, named for Harrison’s solo album of 1973, will be out this fall, in time for the release of Martin Scorsese’s documentary of the same name.
-
Little, Brown to Publish John Lennon's Letters
Little, Brown v-p and publisher Michael Pietsch acquired what will be the first collection of John Lennon's letters ever published. The London-based Weidenfeld & Nicolson (a division of LB parent Hachette Livre) took world rights to The Lennon Letters and, through the arrangement, LB will publish the book in October 2012 as part of an international laydown.
-
Carson-Dellosa Buys Key Education Publishing
Supplemental publisher Carson-Dellosa Publishing has added another educational brand to its ranks, acquiring Key Education Publishing Company, a provider of resources and developmentally appropriate curriculum for young and special needs learners. According to Carson, the Key purchase will enhance its product offerings for the pre-K through grade 4 market.
-
Robert Harris Moves to Knopf
Robert Harris, author of bestsellers Pompeii and The Ghost Writer, has moved to Knopf for his next two books. After working with David Rosenthal, first at Random House and then at Simon & Schuster, Harris has inked a two-book deal with Sonny Mehta.
-
Sentinel Signs Governor Mitch Daniels to Deal
Mitch Daniels, the incumbent two-term Republican Governor of Indiana who is considered a possible candidate to run for the Republican presidential nomination, has signed a book deal with Penguin’s Sentinel imprint.
-
Nelson Selects First WestBow Title for Publication
Thomas Nelson’s children’s division has selected the first title from its self-publishing arm, WestBow Press, to be published and distributed through Thomas Nelson. The company will release Three Cups with a redesigned cover in November.
-
Sale Prices Recovering
Prices for publishing companies in the next year should be higher than during the recession, but not as high as in the bubble years, Bob Halper said at Cowan Liebowitz & Latman’s annual publishing seminar. "You can't anticipate pricing like in 2006 and 2007 because those market conditions don't exist any more," said Halper, who has been doing mergers and acquisitions with CL&L for 25 years.
-
Can E-mails Be Binding in Publishing Deals?
In February the New York Times ran a story warning real estate brokers and property owners to pay close attention to the e-mails they send, after a ruling in Manhattan Supreme Court stipulated that e-mail messages carry just as much sway as written documents in negotiations.
-
Licensing Hotline: March 2011
Simon & Schuster is getting set for a Smurfy summer with the release of 10 Smurfs titles, half with a classic look and half based on the 3D-animated movie being released in August.
-
Kodansha, Dai Nippon Acquire Vertical Inc.
Japanese publishing giant Kodansha Ltd. has joined with Japanese printing giant Dai Nippon Printing to acquire Vertical Inc., a Tokyo- and New York City-based publisher of contemporary Japanese prose fiction and nonfiction and classic manga in translation.
-
McEvoy Group Buys Princeton Architectural Press
The McEvoy Group has acquired Princeton Architectural Press from owner Kevin Lippert for an undisclosed price. PAP joins San Francisco-based McEvoy Group’s other media holdings that include Chronicle Books and packager/publisher becker & mayer!. PAP will remain in New York City under the direction of Lippert who continues as publisher and president. "We intend Princeton Architectural Press to run independently as a standalone operation with Chronicle Books continuing to handle the sales and distribution functions," said McEvoy Group CFO Tom Fernald.
-
Rights Report: February 10
News of deals for several top authors this week, including Ally Carter, Lurlene McDaniel, and Jay Asher.
-
Licensing Hotline: February 2011
Viz Publishing is the U.S. master licensee for Mameshiba ("bean dog"), a hit property in Japan, for children's book formats. The program marks a departure for Viz in many ways. It is its first major branded children's line consisting of original titles—partners for additional programs will be announced soon—and the books will be in color.
-
Disney-Hyperion Signs Rachel Cohn Series
Disney-Hyperion has acquired a four-book sci-fi/fantasy series by Rachel Cohn, whose earlier YA books include Gingerbread and its sequels, and a trio of novels coauthored with David Levithan, among them Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist.
-
Mead Estate Self-Publishes Suite of E-books
Seizing on both a renewed interest in his most iconic book, and frustration about the unavailability of his backlist in digital format, Shepherd Mead's literary estate is preparing to release e-book editions of three titles by the author to coincide with the publication of a new print version of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
-
Hyperion Signs Jane Lynch Memoir
Editorial director at Hyperion's Voice imprint, Barbara Jones, acquired a memoir by actress Jane Lynch. Lynch, who has won recent acclaim for her role as Sue Sylvester on the popular FOX show Glee, will offer up, per the publisher, a "funny and inspirational" book with Happy Accidents. The book is scheduled for September 2011.
-
FaithWords Signs Osteen
After publishing several books with Simon & Schuster, Joel Osteen has signed a multiple book deal with Hachette Book Group’s FaithWords imprint. The first, as yet unnamed book, will be released in September. The books were acquired by FaithWords president and publishers Rolf Zettersten from Jan Miller of Dupree Miller & Associates.
-
Distribution: IPS Adds More Langenscheidt; Getty Changes in Canada
Ingram Publisher Services has extended its distribution agreement with APA Publications, part of the Langenscheidt Publishing Group, taking over distribution of Langenscheidt Dictionaries and Phrasebooks effective March 1. IPS had already been the distributor for APA's travel and reference guides. Langenscheidt closed its American publishing/distribution arm in November.
-
ProQuest Buys Ebrary
Ebrary, one of the pioneers in aggregating books and other print content online, has been acquired by ProQuest for an undisclosed price. Founded in 1999 by Christopher Warnock and Kevin Sayar, ebrary hosts more than 273,000 digital books, handbooks, reports, maps, journals and other content from about 500 publishers.
-
Licensing: The Year in Review
As 2011 approaches, we asked a range of editors and executives with responsibility for licensed publishing about this year's trends. The consensus: there were no real blockbuster properties this year, but several licensed lines performed well.
Browse archive by date:
