B&T in Pact to Offer Dutch, Flemish e-Books via Blio

Baker & Taylor announced an agreement at the Frankfurt Book Fair with Dutch wholesaler Centraal Boekhuis to distribute Dutch and Flemish digital content on Blio, the newly released digital reading software developed by technologist Ray Kurzweil and his firm, KNFB Reading Technology.

Frankfurt Book Fair on Normal Footing; TOC Kicks Off Event

The travel advisory issued by the U.S. government about a higher terror threat in Europe has had little, if any, impact on the Frankfurt Book Fair, which officially starts tomorrow. Before the exhibit halls open, the Tools of Change conference was in high gear today with a keynote by Doug Rushkoff.

Major Last-Minute Deals Make for a Few Titles to Watch in Frankfurt

With the Frankfurt Book Fair kicking off on Wednesday, PW takes a look at some big-ticket deals that have closed in the days before the event. In addition to the titles we mentioned in our agents’ and publishers’ roundups, here are a few books to watch in Germany:

--Jonathan Lethem’s new novel, Dissident Gardens. Eric Simonoff at WME sold North American rights, in a two-book deal, to the family saga, which follows three generations of politically left-leaning Americans and is set in Sunnyside, Queens. Doubleday once again signed the author, but we hear he may be moving houses in the UK, leaving his longtime publisher, Faber. An insider said Faber made an offer, but there is a lot of interest in the UK around the title and Lethem may go elsewhere.

Frankfurt Executive Panel Set

Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy is one of five executives who will discuss publishing issues at the Global Ranking of the Publishing Industry panel at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The panel, which includes PW as a sponsor, will be held Wednesday, October 6, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. in hall 4.2, room "Dimension."

Frankfurt 2010 Briefcase, Part II

Last week, we covered what rights the major U.S. agencies will be selling at next month's Frankfurt Book Fair. Below are the big books the largest U.S. trade houses will be shopping.

Frankfurt Preview: Agency Briefcase

What will the American agents be pushing in the rights tent at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair? In this week's PW we lay out all the big books the agencies will be selling rights for in Germany, highlighting titles from John Grisham, Ken Follett, David Bowie, and Jon Stewart, among many others.

Frankfurt 2010: The Agency Briefcase

What will the American agents be pushing in the rights tent? Among this year's offerings are Martin Amis's "most ferocious antihero," Nelson Mandela's journals, John Grisham's latest Confession, David Bowie's stuff, Jon Stewart's guide to Earth (and Earthlings), and Ken Follett's Giants.

Frankfurt 2010: Will Frankfurt Soon Be an E-Book Fair?

The writing has been on the digital wall for some time, but with new initiatives and a noticeable emphasis on e-books, the 2010 Frankfurt Book Fair is embracing the digital future. From a Storydrive program, a schedule of panels that seeks to break down barriers between books, games, films and other media, to to the the launch of the Frankfurt SPARKS initiative, organizers are are making an effort to "unite the worlds of publishing, technology industries, media and the Internet culture in order to develop collective viable business models," said Juergen Boos, director of the Frankfurt Book Fair, and to pioneer a role "as a content and media fair."

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