Tag: Publishing Biz (21-30 of 90)

Feb 22 2012 11:14 AM ET

Mario Puzo's estate sued by Paramount over 'Godfather' novels

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It’s “strictly business” for Paramount Pictures, the  studio that distributed the Godfather films. Paramount filed a lawsuit against Anthony Puzo, the son of author Mario Puzo and executor of the family estate, seeking to block a Godfather prequel, The Family Corleone, which is slated for publication by Grand Central Publishing in May.

The lawsuit claims that Paramount authorized one Godfather sequel — The Godfather Returns, published by Random House in 2004 — after Mario Puzo’s death in 1999, but not a second sequel, The Godfather’s Revenge in 2006. The studio claims in the suit that The Godfather’s Revenge “tarnished” the Godfather brand and falsely led consumers to believe the book was authorized by Paramount and that the Puzo estate is planning to use trademarks related to the Godfather films to promote The Family Corleone, written by Ed Falco. READ FULL STORY »

Feb 21 2012 10:16 AM ET

Gabrielle Giffords' husband is writing a children's book: 'Mousestronaut'

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Image Credit: Office of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords/AP

Retired astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of former U.S. congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, is writing a children’s book about a mouse who ventures into space. Kelly previously collaborated with his wife on her memoir that spoke of Giffords’ incredible survival after suffering a gunshot to the head.

The inspiration for the story came from Kelly’s own experience: “On my first space shuttle flight, we had 18 mice on board as experiments,” he said in a press release. “And 17 of them, as soon as we got into zero gravity, stayed latched on to the side of the cage. But one of them seemed comfortable through the whole mission, like he was enjoying it.” Simon & Schuster will publish Kelly’s Mousestronaut: A Partially True Story in October of this year.

Read more:
Gabrielle Giffords and the healing power of music: A must-watch clip from last night’s ’20/20′
Gabrielle Giffords in her new memoir: ‘I will get stronger. I will return.’

Feb 16 2012 02:33 PM ET

Amanda Knox signs a massive book deal with HarperCollins

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Image Credit: Ted S. Warren/AP Images

Amanda Knox, the 24-year-old American who was imprisoned on murder charges for four years in Perugia, Italy, has signed a book deal with HarperCollins for close to $4 million, the New York Times reports. A heated auction for the book rights had been ensuing for four days.

Four months ago, Knox was released from Italian prison and acquitted of charges that she murdered her roommate Meredith Kercher. During her incarceration, Knox, who studied creative writing, kept a diary that will now help shape the book.

Said HarperCollins in a statement: “Knox will give a full and unflinching account of the events that led to her arrest in Perugia and her struggles with the complexities of the Italian judicial system. … Aided by journals she kept during her imprisonment, Knox will talk about her harrowing experience at the hands of the Italian police and later prison guards and inmates. She will reveal never before-told details surrounding her case, and describe how she used her inner strength and strong family ties to cope with the most challenging time of her young life.” READ FULL STORY »

Dec 14 2011 11:47 AM ET

Film rights for 'Daughter of Smoke & Bone' acquired by Universal Pictures -- EXCLUSIVE

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Will Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor become the next huge books-to-movies franchise? It took a huge step toward that rarefied status today when Universal Pictures announced that it has acquired worldwide rights to the young adult fantasy novel, EW has learned exclusively.

Taylor’s thrilling, fresh novel — the first in a trilogy — centers on a young blue-haired girl named Karou who encounters unusual creatures and dangerous angels as she travels the world to carry out mysterious errands. EW’s Sara Vilkomerson wrote, “This smartly plotted, surprising, and fiercely compelling read will hook you from its opening pages. … Seriously, cancel all plans once you begin; you won’t want to put it down.” Daughter has made several major year-end lists: It was the sole young adult title in Amazon’s top 10 best books of 2011, and the New York Times named it one of five notable young adult books of the year. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 25 2011 06:28 PM ET

Casey Anthony book: Publishers aren't biting

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Image Credit: Joe Burbank, Pool/AP Images

Back when EW asked book publishing insiders if they’d be interested in an Amanda Knox book, the answer was an unmistakable, resounding “Yes.” One prominent editor told us, “People vote at the bookstore when it comes to any big case. You need to ask, ‘Where is the court of public opinion on this?’ That’s who’s going to buy the account.” While in publishers’ eyes Knox is golden, the opposite can be said for Casey Anthony, the Florida mom acquitted of murdering her daughter Caylee. It’s safe to say that the court of public opinion finds Anthony guilty, and readers are, for obvious reasons, loath to hand money over for her book. TMZ called around to publishers yesterday and today, and here are some of the statements they received from the big houses: READ FULL STORY »

Oct 13 2011 10:52 AM ET

On the Books: Rebecca Skloot inks deal for new book, and more

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Image Credit: Manda Townsend

++ With the enormous success of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the sales of which continue to multiply, science writer Rebecca Skloot has landed a deal for a second book, this one about the “human-animal bond.” If Skloot can make a story about strain of cancer cells intensely human and engaging, I’m sure she can do the same with animals. No release date has been announced yet. Read more about the book on the author’s website.

++ Wham! Bam! Islam!, PBS documentary airing tonight, will center on a Kuwaiti psychologist’s efforts to promote The 99, a “comic book of superheroes who each exemplify one of the 99 qualities that Muslims believe Allah embodies, like generosity, strength and patience.” READ FULL STORY »

Oct 7 2011 05:44 PM ET

Barnes and Noble removes Sandman, Watchmen, and other graphic novels from its shelves

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My attention was caught this morning by a tweet from Neil Gaiman: “Really? Barnes and Noble will no longer sell Sandman or Watchmen?” It turns out to be true: The company was angered by DC Comics’ deal  with Amazon to sell 100 graphic novels –including Gaiman’s — exclusively on the Kindle Fire. So it ordered stores to begin stripping the DC books from their shelves. Later today, B&N issued a statement to CNN that said, in part,

“Regardless of the publisher, we will not stock physical books in our stores if we are not offered the available digital format…To sell and promote the physical book in our store showrooms and not have the e-book available for sale would undermine our promise to Barnes & Noble customer to make available any book, anywhere.”

Some Barnes & Noble stores — like the one nearest EW’s office — had completely removed the graphic novels in question by midafternoon. Other branches, like the one not far from my house in upstate New York, appear to not have heard the corporate message.

Has anyone seen this today at a Barnes & Noble? What do you think about it?

Oct 5 2011 12:55 PM ET

Amanda Knox book? What publishing insiders have to say

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Image Credit: Ted S. Warren/AP Images

According to a recent LA Times poll, most American readers believe Amanda Knox should get a book deal.

So Shelf Life asked major players in the New York publishing world about the desirability of an Amanda Knox book. Although some of the editors and agents we reached out to were unwilling to comment out of fear of jeopardizing current or future book deals, the impression we got is something that’s been obvious all along: Pretty much every agent and publisher in town would love to make an Amanda Knox book happen.

Especially attractive to publishers is that Knox is a sympathetic figure without the “ick factor” of Casey Anthony, the other major headline-maker this year. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 11 2011 12:48 PM ET

Should comic books emulate the TV biz? Plus: More reviews of 'The New 52'

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Image Credit: DC Comics

Pop culture in September. A month of beginnings and renewal. A time when a certain sector of entertainment expends much marketing energy to not just psyche up the public about its products but get them excited about the very medium that delivers those products. We’re talking TV, of course, and the “new fall season” that’s imminent. But this month, we’re talking about the comic book industry, too. Last week, DC Comics began rebooting its entire line of comics via an initiative called “The New 52.” Ongoing hits like Action Comics (home to Superman) and Detective Comics (abode to Batman) restarted with new creative approaches, storylines, and creative teams. Launching with them: A bevy of new series, many starring familiar characters, returning to prime time comics the way TV stars of the past return in new vehicles. (‘Tool Time’ Tim Allen/Last Man Standing = Construction worker Alec Holland/Swamp Thing. Grunt-grunt!)

READ FULL STORY »

Sep 8 2011 10:23 AM ET

On the Books Sept. 8: Borders execs seeking 6-figure payouts, Project Gutenberg founder dies

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Image Credit: Ramin Talaie/Getty Images

++ Borders Group Inc., in bankruptcy, is seeking six-figure payouts for the company’s top executives. When the corporate closure is final, more than 10,000 Borders employees will have lost their jobs.

++ Michael S. Hart, ebook inventor and founder of Project Gutenberg, died on Tuesday at age 64. A pioneer in digitizing books, his online library housed more than 36,000 texts as of June and added, on average, 50 new texts a week. READ FULL STORY »

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