Hachette Books taps editor as CEO

One of the country's top publishers has turned to a man from the editorial side to run its business. Michael Pietsch, the editor of Keith Richards' Life, David Foster Wallace's The Pale King and the many novels of James Patterson, has been named CEO of Hachette Book Group. Mr. Pietsch has headed the publisher's Little Brown and Co. division for 11 years. "I love working closely with writers, and I'm hopeful that I'll get to continue to work with them in other ways in helping them achieve whatever they want to achieve," Mr. Pietsch said Monday during a brief telephone interview. "I have always loved the business side of our business. I didn't think of myself as wanting to be a CEO, but I always wanted to learn more about the business and about bringing the right book into a reader's hands at the right moment." Mr. Pietsch succeeds David Young, who will step down March 31. The 61 year old is returning to Britain to be with his family and will become deputy chief executive of Hachette UK and CEO of the Orion Publishing Group division. Mr. Pietsch will continue to report to Mr. Young, whose reign was highlighted by the rise of Stephenie Meyer and her Twilight novels. "I have enjoyed enormously my time here and the company going from strength to strength, and I leave behind a brilliant team who work together so wonderfully, and will now be very ably led by Michael Pietsch," said Mr. Young, who has been CEO since 2006, in a statement. The 55-year-old Mr. Pietsch is known for... Continue reading at 'Crains New York'

[ Crains New York | 2012-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #pulitzer prize #casual vacancy #price fixing

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Hachette Books taps editor as CEO'


How 200,000 Books Were Given to U.S. Troops

Moving 200,000 books isn’t an easy task, but through the goodwill and team work of several organizations, that’s exactly what happened in an unprecedented donation of James Patterson’s own books to the United States Armed Forces. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #easy task #james patterson


'Revolutionary' website plans at Hachette UK

  The Group c.e.o of Hachette UK, Tim Hely Hutchinson, has told authors that substantial... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hachette uk #told authors


The Missing 20th Century: How Copyright Protection Makes Books Vanish

Because of the strange distortions of copyright protection, there are twice as many newly published books available on Amazon from 1850 as there are from 1950 Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2012-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #copyright protection


E-book growth ‘reducing value’

The overall value of consumer book purchases has dropped 9% since 2008, according to the annual... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Duddle wins children's book prize

Jonny Duddle, the concept artist for Aardman film The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists, is named overall winner of the prestigious Waterstones Children's Book Prize. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book prize #jonny duddle #concept artist


Duddle wins Waterstones Children's Book Prize

Jonny Duddle, a concept artist for the new Aardman Animation film "The Pirates! In An... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book prize #jonny duddle #concept artist


Dutch book chain Selexyz files for bankruptcy

Book chain Selexyz, not long ago the dominant force in Dutch high street bookselling, is on the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #long ago #dominant force


Hardie Grant signs cookery blog book

Hardie Grant UK has signed a vegetarian cookery title based on the blog Green Kitchen Stories.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Harry Potter E-Books Finally Arrive on J.K. Rowling's Pottermore

Pottermore was due to go live in October, but it missed its launch. The is expected to open to the public early next month. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


J.K. Rowling's Website Starts Selling Harry Potter E-Books

It didn't take a Hogwarts magician to know this day would eventually come. The bookstore feature of J.K. Rowling's Pottermore website went live Tuesday, enabling English-language readers to buy the digital editions of all seven Harry Potter novels—and the audiobook editions—from anywhere in the... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital editions #pottermore website


Hachette snaps up Blyton estate

Hachette UK has acquired worldwide rights in the Enid Blyton estate, excluding Noddy, from... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hachette uk


Trust Buster Takes Hard Line As E-Book Probe Continues

The Justice Department's top antitrust official says she won't stand by quietly if companies make agreements with rivals on price, signaling a stern stance as the department conducts a high-profile probe into electronic-book publishing. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #justice department


Marvel Offers Digital Extras for Comic Book Fans

Next month, Marvel Comics will release a new application to add content enhanced with augmented reality to some of its comic books. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #marvel comics #augmented reality #comic books


Book review: 'The New Republic' by Lionel Shriver

Lionel Shriver deftly handles terrorism, politics and satire in 'The New Republic.'It takes guts to write a satire about terrorism — and Lionel Shriver has guts. She has already published biting novels about the failings of the U.S. healthcare system ("So Much for That") and a school shooter... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #lionel shriver #healthcare system


Book review: 'The Idea Factory' by Jon Gertner

A look at AT&T's Bell Labs documents what in its heyday was truly a marvelous innovation machine and focuses on a handful of compelling narratives.For generations of industry research executives, AT&T's Bell Telephone Laboratories served as an inspiration: a warren of youthful scientists... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nobel prizes #personal computer


Book review: 'The Stranger Within Sarah Stein'

Thane Rosenbaum skillfully mixes fantasy and tragedy in 'The Stranger Within Sarah Stein,' whose heroine weathers her parents' divorce with pluck and defiance.Young adult novelists are increasingly tackling darker subjects: kidnappings, drugs, rape. But few have delved into so many dark subjects... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review


OUP grows picture book list

Oxford University Press has appointed a new commissioning editor with a view to expanding its... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Book review: 'These Dreams of You' by Steve Erickson

In 'These Dreams of You,' Steve Erickson writes incisively and movingly about issues of family and race, but the novel goes off the rails with tangents.Zan Nordhoc's unhappy family is certainly unhappy in its own ways in Steve Erickson's new novel "These Dreams of You." For instance, in a... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #david bowie #iggy pop


Mobiles24 removes ebooks channel after Hachette action

Mobiles24 has removed all ebooks from its website after Hachette UK obtained a court order... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #court order


Johnston Press CEO Signals Move to 'Digital First'

The chief executive of Johnston Press (JP) has signalled that the local newspaper publisher will adopt a digital-first strategy. Speaking at the Guardian Changing Media Summit, Ashley Highfield, who took over as CEO in November, said "we will fl ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ashley highfield