Publishing's Lunchroom Turns 25

One day in November 1985, a man wearing an ascot walked into the just-opened Union Square Cafe on East 16th Street in New York City. He said to the restaurant's owner, Danny Meyer, in an accent Meyer describes as "inimitable," "I hear you have oysters."

Knopf to Release Larsson Boxed Set

In time for the holiday season, Knopf will release a boxed set of Stieg Larsson's bestselling Millennium trilogy. The $99 package includes three hardcover editions of the books in the series, in a slip case, as well as a fourth volume about the dead author, On Stieg Larsson.

Consortium Adds Five Publishers

Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, which distributes in the U.S. and Canada for more than 120 companies all over the world, announced Monday that it has added five publishers to its client list for the spring 2011 season. The five new client publishers are Gentle Path Press, 3-D Press, Biblioasis, Dialogue, and Fence Books.

News Briefs: Week of 10/25/10

Thomas Steinbeck Loses Latest Round To Control Steinbeck Literary Estate

In the latest,and perhaps final,round of a bitter battle for a control of the John Steinbeck literary estate, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals this week affirmed an earlier dismissal of claims brought by Steinbeck's son, Thomas Steinbeck, against the heirs of the great American author's third wife, Elaine Steinbeck, and literary agency McIntosh & Otis.

Harvard Common Releases 25th Anniversary Edition of 'Nursing Mother's Companion'

Breastfeeding has gone in and out of fashion over the past 25 years, but Harvard Common Press' Nursing Mother's Companion has not: the book is HCP's bestselling title, having sold more than one million copies since it was first published in 1985, and the publisher just released a 25th anniversary edition that has been substantially revised.

Blurb's Pop-Up Store Offers Classes, But No Books

Self-publishing platform Blurb is opening a pop-up space in New York City from October 21 to 31--but it won't be selling any books at the space. Instead, the store will host free events and workshops, and be open daily for anyone to stop in and learn more about bookmaking.

Asheville Publisher Grateful Steps Expands with a Bookstore

For six years, Grateful Steps has been serving Asheville, N.C., and the Southeast as a traditional publisher turning out books in all genres, from novels and children's books to nonfiction, poetry and photography. Beginning next month, Grateful Steps founder Micki Cabaniss Eutsler will open the company's own bookstore in the publisher's new offices and plans to use the bookstore not just as a central location from which to sell the company's catalog of 30 books, but a community center for readings, workshops, and art shows.

Author Files Suit Against Planeta Over Spanish Editions

Sherry Argov, author of Why Men Love Bitches and Why Men Marry Bitches, has filed a lawsuit against Group Planeta and four affiliated companies, charging the Spanish publishing giant with copyright infringement and breach of contract related to the sale of the Spanish-language editions of Argov's two titles in Latin America as well as in Europe and England. According to the suit, Planeta and its Editorial Diana Mexicana subsidiary have underpaid Argov by at least $1 million.

'Boston Review' Goes Glossy, Signs Spitzer

After 35 years as a tabloid magazine, Boston Review relaunched this fall as a full-color glossy. It also moved to a new home at MIT and adopted the tagline "Ideas Matter" to reflect its commitment to in-depth print journalism and poetry, for which it received a 2010 Utne Independent Press Award and was nominated for a National Magazine Award for public-interest reporting. And it is continuing its book publishing imprint with MIT Press of short books on public policy, including one by Eliot Spitzer.

Martingale Publishes Marie Osmond

Heartfelt Giving: Sew and Quilt for Family and Friends by Marie Osmond, actress, singer, and member of the famous showbiz family, comes out November 8. It is the latest in a long line of craft and hobby books from Bothell, Wash., publisher Martingale & Company.

News Briefs: Week of 10/18/10

News Briefs: Week of 10/11/10

A Memoir's Second Life

Nine years ago, Joseph O'Neill, a half-Irish, half-Turkish British barrister, with two novels to his credit, abandoned his legal career and watched his third book, a family memoir, disappear into a vacuum. Or, in O'Neill's words, "get erased by 9/11."

PM Hits 100

Despite a rather inauspicious start—right at the beginning of the Great Recession in late 2007—less than three years later PM Press, in Oakland, Calif., has published more than 110 items, including 80 books, and pamphlets, CDs, DVDs, digital downloads, and other merchandise.

Counterpoint to Close New York Office

Berkeley-based Counterpoint Press issued a statement late Wednesday saying it will close its New York office at the end of October. That office was home to Counterpoint's Soft Skull imprint as well as editorial director Denise Oswald and associate editor Anne Horowitz. Soft Skull will continue as an imprint from Counterpoint's Berkeley office.

Cursor Launches First Imprint, Announces Debut List At Frankfurt

Cursor, the publishing venture founded by former Soft Skull publisher Richard Nash, has officially launched its first imprint, called Red Lemonade, and revealed the three titles that will compose its first list.

News Briefs: Week of 10/4/10

Tachyon Press Celebrates 15 Years

Jacob Weisman, founder of Tachyon Publications, turned his lifelong science fiction hobby into a dedicated career when he started the press in San Francisco in 1995 and thoughtfully nurtured it into what has become one of the most important independent presses in the industry.

Alyson Books Will Restructure as E-book Only House; Weise Leaves

Unable to arrange the sale of Alyson Books, parent company Here Media has announced that it is dropping Alyson's print book program and plans to restructure as an e-book only publisher. The country's oldest gay and lesbian house has been in financial trouble for months and publisher Don Weise had been trying to put a group together to acquire the publisher. With the restructuring, however, Weise will leave the company.