Pay-back time for publishers: authors forced to return their advances

This week, it emerged that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author Seth Grahame-Smith was being sued by his publisher to return his advance. From Julian Assange to Amy Schumer, he isn’t alone...Though he’s fallen out spectacularly with his publisher, Seth Grahame-Smith at least has the consolation of joining a stellar club of writers whose deals for much-anticipated books were terminated. It emerged this week that Grahame-Smith, the man behind Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, is being sued in the United States for breach of contract by Hachette, which wants half his $1m advance for a two-book deal returned. Hachette claims the second book’s typescript was eventually submitted “34 months” late, and was too short and substandard, “in large part an appropriation of a 120-year-old public domain work” (unnamed, but presumably 1897’s Dracula).Among Grahame-Smith’s new confrères are the 12 non-fiction authors including Elizabeth Wurtzel sued four years ago by Penguin USA, which sought to recoup the advances plus interest for books it said they had failed to deliver; Withnail And I writer-director Bruce Robinson, whose missed deadlines during his 15-year quest to identify Jack the Ripper meant his original publisher cancelled his contract and asked for its advance back (although he found a new one and They All Love Jack appeared in 2015); and the award-winning novelist and poet Vikram Seth, who was at loggerheads with Penguin after it... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #award-winning novelist #jane austen #$1m advance

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Johnson says Waterstone should give up on buying back chain

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 20/04/2011 - 07:54 Former Borders UK owner Luke Johnson has warned Tim Waterstone off trying to buy back Waterstone's. Waterstone is believed to be the sole frontrunner for the bookseller and has teamed up with Russian billionaire Alexander Mamut... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Triptych wins Authors Club prize

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 18/04/2011 - 09:16 The Authors’ Club Best First Novel award has been given to Jonathan Kemp for London Triptych. The book, about sex, exploitation and dependence set against London’s gay underworld was published by Brighton-based indie Myriad... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Genre authors attack "sneering" World Book Night coverage

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 18/04/2011 - 09:19 Authors including Iain M Banks and Michael Moorcock have written to the BBC's director general Mark Thompson, attacking the treatment of genre fiction in its recent World Book Night coverage. In total 85 authors, across the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #genre fiction #science fiction


The Advocate Chooses DTI's Cloud Publishing Platform to Future-Proof Operations

The Advocate, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana newspaper owned by the Manship family is managing its content publishing infrastructure with DTI ContentPublisher and DTI Cloud. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2011-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #baton rouge


Social Traffic Worth Less to Publishers Than Search

There’s no question that social media is becoming an increasingly important source of traffic for Web publishers, from articles and videos being shared among friends on Facebook to users following individual reporters on Twitter. But it turns out that social media referrals may be worth less to... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #web publishers #direct traffic


Tynt Offers Tracking Tools for Publishers

A San Francisco-based company called Tynt is determined to allow publishers the opportunity to take full advantage of copy and paste user action. Already used by 600,000 publishers, the company released the Tynt’s Publisher Tools set in early February. The currently free suite of four tools... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #full advantage #company released #early february #free suite


RHCB acquires YA "Time Traveller's Wife"

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Wed, 13/04/2011 - 12:00 Random House Children's Books has acquired a "YA novel in the spirit of The Time Traveller's Wife" by Tamara Ireland Stone. Editorial director Kelly Hurst and commissioning editor Lauren Buckland bought UK and Commonwealth... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #time traveller #caspian dennis #abner stein


Time Inc. Veteran John Squires Lands at Digital Bookstore [MediaMemo]

Longtime Time Inc. executive John Squires, last seen running the magazine industry's version of Hulu, has a new gig: He's at Akademos, a Connecticut-based company that runs digital bookstores for small and mid-sized colleges. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #magazine industry


Campaigners says publishers 'not interested' in library fight

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 13/04/2011 - 11:06 Library campaigner Tim Coates called on publishers to get involved in the fight to save public libraries, warning that the 500 currently threatened with closure will be followed by many more without action to protect the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #public libraries #london borough


Mehta hails publishing after lifetime award

Written By: Felicity Wood Publication Date: Wed, 13/04/2011 - 14:00 Sonny Mehta, editor-in-chief of Alfred A Knopf, has said publishing's editorial, marketing and publicity standards would guarantee the sector's relevance, as he was awarded the eighth LBF Lifetime Achievement Award in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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LBF: Territoriality "key" for UK publishers

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 12/04/2011 - 09:28 Controlling world English-language rights is key to taking advantage of the global book economy for UK publishers, delegates have been told. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #uk publishers #taking advantage


LBF: Change needed, but publishing still vital

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 12/04/2011 - 09:29 Profile m.d. Andrew Franklin has dismissed self-publishing as irrelevant in a heated debate on the relevance of publishers. The discussion, held at yesterday's London Book Fair, was between Franklin, Bloomsbury's executive... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #andrew franklin #heated debate


Agents Keeping Foreign Publishers on Digital Leash

As the London Book Fair goes through its annual run this week, American agents are trying to figure out the best way to sell digital rights to foreign publishers in markets that are far behind the U.S. in ebook sales. Even though many international publishers are just starting to dabble in... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #foreign publishers #ebook sales #international publishers #digital books #local market #major houses #foreign deals


Specific Media appoints UK publisher services director

Ad network Specific Media has appointed Fox Networks Group's Graeme Lynch as its new UK publisher services director. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time called on enhanced ebooks at LBF digital conference

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Sun, 10/04/2011 - 16:03 Enhanced ebooks are dead, discoverability is the most important issue facing ebook vendors, while pricing strategies should be measured against other digital content, not physical books. These were the key themes that emerged... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital content #digital conference #enhanced ebooks #pricing strategies #physical books #key themes


The New York Times Offers 50 Percent Discount to Subscribers

In an attempt to get readers behind their newly formed paywall, The New York Times has launched a deep discount offer to subscribers, which will run for a 26 week period. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers gloomy on Borders' turnaround plan

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Thu, 07/04/2011 - 09:05 US publishers have dismissed Borders' recovery plan, which includes revamped stores and increased online sales, as unrealistic and are increasingly gloomy about its future. The New York Times reports Borders senior... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #random house


Execs' pay up at Pearson as profit grows

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 06/04/2011 - 14:58 Penguin group chief executive John Makinson took home £1.5m in pay in 2010, in a year when Penguin's sales grew 21% to £1.1bn and adjusted operating profit grew 19% to £106m. Makinson's pay rose by £150,000 thanks to a rise in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #profit grows


Coronet to publish Tess Daly fiction

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 05/04/2011 - 16:11 Coronet will publish "Strictly Come Dancing" presenter Tess Daly's first sashay into fiction, having acquired The Camera Never Lies by the TV host. Editor Charlotte Haycock acquired British Commonwealth rights to the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tv host


A Young (and Very Ambitious) Group of Publishers

The current crop of Russian publishers is collectively on the young side, many of them born shortly before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Then, teething problems were many and the growth path rocky at times. But today these publishers produce nearly 120,000 new titles per year,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #young side #russian publishers #publishers produce #born shortly #soviet union #global ranking