Authorlink
Publishing News
Section II: More News
November 1-15, 2003 Edition GENERAL NEWS Hicks' New
Drench Kiss Press
Focuses on Leftists
NEW YORK, NY/10/23/03A new small press, Drench Kiss Media, has been launched by former Soft Skull publisher Sander Hicks and partner Charles Shaw, according to an article by Publishers Weekly.
The press reportedly will focus on left-wing books. Its first release will be, Whistleblowers: The Authoritative Guide to the Case Against the Official Story of 9/11.
Hicks gained recognition for acquiring a book by J.H. Hatfield that alleged George Bush was a former cocaine user after another publisher dropped the title.
Naval Academy Still Ponders
VanDeMark Plagiarism Charges
WASHINGTON, DC/10/20/03Brian VanDeMark, a US Naval Academy history professor and author of several popular books, is awaiting a decision on accusations that he plagiarized several other authors in his latest book, Pandora's Keepers: Nine Men and the Atomic Bomb.
Since the story broke about possible plagiarism in the New York Times, VanDeMark was reassigned from his teaching job to an administrative post, and Little, Brown and Co., the publisher, recalled about 15,000 copies of the book, according to a story in the Washington Post on October 20, Page A13.
The five-month-old issue still hangs undecided by the Naval Academy. The school's superintendent and academic declined any comment to the Post.
VanDeMark has said in previous statements that he firmly stands by his book. "But I accept responsibility for rectifying my mistakes."
Academy officials blamed the delay of any action on a turbulent year at the school. The school has been involved in sexual assault charges against three midshipmen, an unscheduled change of command, and extensive damage from Hurricane Isabel, the Post reported.
Robert S. Norris, author of Racing for the Bomb : General Leslie R. Groves, the Manhattan Project's Indispensable Man (2002), and historian Gregg Herken, author of The Winning Weapon: The Atomic Bomb in the Cold War, 1945-1950 (1981), both say VanDeMark improperly borrowed from their work. The authors discovered the similarities when Norris was reviewing Pandora's Keepers for the New York Times and was told by Herkin, who was also reviewing the book for the Los Angeles Times, to look for passages that might have been lifted from Norris' own work.
Both men are disturbed by the long delay in receiving an answer from the Naval Academy and want to see VanDeMark disciplined.
Geoff Shandler, executive editor of Little, Brown, defended Pandora's Keepers, calling the plagiarism allegations "a very rare case of sporadic and infrequent carelessness" that did not impeach the book as a whole, the Posted quoted.
Shandler said he hopes to be able to publish a corrected edition soon.
Under academy rules, VanDeMark could either be reprimanded or fired. But VanDeMark is a federal government employee which would complicate any dismissal procedure.
BOOKSELLING Book Industry TRENDS '03
Releases New Report
10/29/03Book Industry TRENDS, which analyses the publishing industry, has just released its TRENDS 2003 report, including reviews and forecasts of book sales. The report covers both dollars and units for 1997-2007. This year's report includes more than 200 pages of data on key segments of the publishing industry, including:
Adult and childrens trade publishing College and elhi publishing Professional, scholarly, and religious publishing Library acquisitions
The bookprepared by the Book Industry Study Group,Inc., by the Center for Communications and Media Management at Fordham University Graduate School of Business Administrationincludes a broad analysis of nine major sectors of the book business. Statistical data was prepared by The Association of American Publishers.
The report can be ordered from the Study Group's website, www.bisg.org.
PEOPLE NY Times Appoints Public Advocacy Editor
NEW YORK/10/27/03 The New York Times, in an effort to restore public trust after two editorial scandals earlier this year, has named former Time Inc. executive Daniel Okrent, as its first "public editor." He will serve as an advocate for readers.
This past summer, journalist Jayson Blair was caught for having made up a series of stories, and two top Times editors, Howell Raines and Gerald Boyd, left the newspaper as a result of the scandal. Also, Rick Bragg, a Pulitzer Prize-winner, departed after charges that a non-staffer had reported under his byline.
THE BOOK SENSE NATIONAL BESTSELLER LIST
Published Thursday, October 30, 2003 (for sales week ended Sunday, October 26, 2003.) THE BOOK SENSE NATIONAL BESTSELLER LIST
Published Thursday, October 30, 2003 (for sales week ended Sunday, October 26, 2003.) Based on reporting from over 440 independent bookstores across America.
Debuts this Week
Shepherds Abiding: Christmas in Mitford by Jan Karon (HF #4, 0670031208) Elizabeth Costello by J. M. Coetzee (HF #14, 0670031305) Reflections: Life After the White Houseby Barbara Bush (HN #13, 0743223594) The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp (HN #15, 0743235266) Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee (PF #11, 0140296409) A Long Way from Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland in the Forties and Fifties by Tom Brokaw (PN #11, 0375759352) Flawed Dogs: The Year-End Leftovers at the Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound by Heidy Strudelberg (CI #2, 0316713597) The Hallo-Wiener by Dav Pilkey (CI #14, 0439079462)
HARDCOVER FICTION
1. The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown, Doubleday, $24.95
2. The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Mitch Albom, Hyperion, $19.95
3. Blow Fly: A Scarpetta Novel
Patricia Cornwell, Putnam, $26.95
4. Shepherds Abiding: Christmas in Mitford – Debut
Jan Karon, Penguin, $24.95
5. Bleachers
John Grisham, Doubleday, $19.95
6. The Time Traveler's Wife
Audrey Niffenegger, MacAdam/Cage, $25
7. Split Second
David Baldacci, Warner, $26.95
8. The Namesake
Jhumpa Lahiri, Houghton Mifflin, $24
9. The Pleasure of My Company
Steve Martin, Hyperion, $19.95
10. The Wedding
Nicholas Sparks, Warner, $23.95
11. Quicksilver
Neal Stephenson, Morrow, $27.95
12. The Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold, Little Brown, $21.95
13. Lord John and the Private Matter
Diana Gabaldon, Delacorte, $23.95
14. Elizabeth Costello – Debut
J. M. Coetzee, Viking, $21.95
15. Vernon God Little
DBC Pierre, D. B. C. Pierre, Canongate, $23
TWO ON THE RISE:
24. Mirror Mirror
Gregory Maguire, ReganBooks, $24.95
The ever-wicked Maguire takes on Snow White, setting the fable in 16th-century Italy.
28. Train
Pete Dexter, Doubleday, $24.95
Golf and L.A. noir mix in the newest from the author of Paris Trout.
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. Dude, Where's My Country?
Michael Moore, Warner, $24.95
2. The South Beach Diet
Arthur Agatston, M.D., Rodale, $24.95
3. Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
Al Franken, Dutton, $24.95
4. Bushwhacked
Molly Ivins, Lou Dubose, Random House, $24.95
5. The Ultimate Weight Solution
Dr. Phillip C. McGraw, Free Press, $26
6. The Purpose-Driven Life
Rick Warren, Zondervan, $19.99
7. Flyboys
James Bradley, Little Brown, $25.95
8. Every Second Counts
Lance Armstrong, Sally Jenkins, Broadway, $24.95
9. Under the Banner of Heaven
Jon Krakauer, Doubleday, $26
10. The Great Unraveling
Paul Krugman, Norton, $25.95
11. Who's Looking Out for You?
Bill O'Reilly, Broadway, $24.95
12. The World According to Mr. Rogers
Fred Rogers, Hyperion, $16.95
13. Reflections: Life After the White House – Debut
Barbara Bush, Scribner, $28
14. Madam Secretary
Madeleine K. Albright, Miramax Books, $27.95
15. The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life – Debut
Twyla Tharp, S&S, $25
ON THE RISE:
31. Lost Recipes: Meals to Share with Friends and Family
Marion Cunningham, Knopf, $22
Tuna Loaf, welcome home!
TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
1. The Secret Life of Bees
Sue Monk Kidd, Penguin, $14
2. Life of Pi
Yann Martel, Harvest, $14
3. Middlesex
Jeffrey Eugenides, Picador, $15
4. #1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Alexander McCall Smith, Anchor, $11.95
5. The Piano Tuner
Daniel Philippe Mason, Vintage, $14
6. The Last Girls
Lee Smith, Ballantine, $14.95
7. Three Junes
Julia Glass, Anchor, $14
8. The Virgin Blue
Tracy Chevalier, Plume, $14
9. Cry, The Beloved Country
Alan Paton, S&S, $14
10. Bel Canto
Ann Patchett, Perennial, $13.95
11. Disgrace – Debut
J. M. Coetzee, Penguin, $13
12. East of Eden
John Steinbeck, Penguin, $16
13. Blue Shoe
Anne Lamott, Riverhead, $14
14. Blessings
Anna Quindlen, Random House, $13.95
15. Tears of the Giraffe
Alexander McCall Smith, Anchor, $11.95
ON THE RISE:
39. The Seven Sisters
Margaret Drabble, Harvest, $14
How do we move from realized life through mid-life? Drabble wonderfully crafts one woman's slow change. Just out in paperback.
TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
1. Under the Tuscan Sun
Frances Mayes, Broadway, $15
2. Nickel and Dimed
Barbara Ehrenreich, Owl, $13
3. Seabiscuit
Laura Hillenbrand, Ballantine, $15.95
4. Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution
Robert C. Atkins, M.D., Quill, $13.95
5. The Bitch in the House
Cathi Hanauer (Ed.), Perennial, $13.95
6. Fast Food Nation
Eric Schlosser, Perennial, $13.95
7. Small Wonder
Barbara Kingsolver, Perennial, $12.95
8. The Old Farmer's Almanac 2004
Old Farmer's Almanac (Ed.), Old Farmer's Almanac, $5.95
9. Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight
Alexandra Fuller, Random House, $13.95
10. Running With Scissors
Augusten Burroughs, Picador, $14
11. A Long Way from Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland in the Forties and Fifties – Debut
Tom Brokaw, Random House, $12.95
12. Tuesdays with Morrie
Mitch Albom, Broadway, $12.95
13. The Four Agreements
Don Miguel Ruiz, Amber-Allen, $12.95
14. Bringing Down the House
Ben Mezrich, Free Press, $14
15. Book Lust
Nancy Pearl, Sasquatch, $16.95
ON THE RISE:
44. The Best American Essays
Anne Fadiman (Ed.), Houghton Mifflin, $13
The personal, the political, the most incisive — the best of the year.
MASS MARKET
1. Angels & Demons
Dan Brown, Pocket, $7.99
2. Mystic River
Dennis Lehane, HarperTorch, $7.99
3. Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution
Robert C. Atkins, M.D., Avon, $7.99
4. Q Is for Quarry
Sue Grafton, Berkley, $7.99
5. Seabiscuit
Laura Hillenbrand, Ballantine, $7.99
6. Deception Point
Dan Brown, Pocket, $7.99
7. The Janson Directive
Robert Ludlum, St. Martin's, $7.99
8. Dr. Atkins' New Carbohydrate Gram Counter
Robert C. Atkins, M.D., M. Evans, $4.95
9. Jolie Blon's Bounce
James Lee Burke, Pocket Star, $7.99
10. A Noble Radiance
Donna Leon, Penguin, $6.99
CHILDREN'S FICTION
1. A Series of Unfortunate Events #10: The Slippery Slope
Lemony Snicket, HarperCollins, $10.99
2. Eragon
Christopher Paolini, Knopf, $18.95
3. Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers
Dav Pilkey, Blue Sky, $4.99
4. The Thief Lord
Cornelia Funke, Chicken House, $6.99
5. Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve
Mary Pope Osborne, Random House, $11.95
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, $29.99
7. Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets
Dav Pilkey, Blue Sky, $4.99
8. Holes
Louis Sachar, Yearling, $6.50
9. Loamhedge
Brian Jacques, Philomel, $23.99
10. A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning
Lemony Snicket, HarperTrophy, $10.99
11. Inkheart
Cornelia Funke, Chicken House, $19.95
12. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Ann Brashares, Delacorte, $8.95
13. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, $7.99
14. Junie B., First Grader: One-Man Band
Barbara Park, Random House, $11.95
15. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, $8.99
ON THE RISE:
20. Trickster's Choice
Tamora Pierce, Random House, $17.95
A magical medieval adventure, starring a resourceful young woman wearing fabulous clothes! The new saga from the popular Pierce.
CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED
1. Olivia . . . and the Missing Toy
Ian Falconer, Atheneum, $16.95
2. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll, Robert Sabuda (Illus.), S&S, $24.95
3. On Noah's Ark
Jan Brett, Putnam, $16.99
4. Halloween Bugs
David A. Carter, S&S, $10.95
5. Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), HarperCollins, $7.99
6. Diary of a Worm
Doreen Cronin, Harry Bliss (Illus.), Joanna Cotler/ HarperCollins, $15.99
7. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything
Linda Williams, Megan Lloyd (Illus.), HarperCollins, $5.99
8. The English Roses
Madonna, Penguin, $19.95
9. Tails
Matthew Van Fleet, Red Wagon, $12.95
10. Walter the Farting Dog
William Kotzwinkle, Glenn Murray, Audrey Colman (Illus.), Frog, $15.95
11. Pat the Bunny
Dorothy Kunhardt, Golden, $9.99
12. Flawed Dogs: The Year-End Leftovers at the Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound – Debut
Heidy Strudelberg, Little Brown, $18.95
13. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Bill Martin, Eric Carle (Illus.), Holt, $7.95
14. The Hallo-Wiener – Debut
Dav Pilkey, Scholastic, $5.99
15. Five Little Pumpkins
Dan Yaccarino (Illus.), HarperFestival, $5.99
May We Recommend
Hardcover
SLOW WAY HOME, by Michael Morris (HarperSanFrancisco, $22.95, 0060568984) "This is a thought-provoking story of a young boy who has suffered abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Morris' eloquent writing style lends invaluable insight into the thoughts, perceptions, and coping mechanisms of abused children everywhere. Slow Way Home will leave the reader with a profound sensitivity to the perils of abused children and with hope for a positive outcome from their travails."Maryalice Hurst, That Bookstore at Mountebanq Place, Conway, AR
THE WAY THE CROW FLIES, by Ann-Marie MacDonald (HarperCollins, $26.95, 0060578955) "A gripping story of a troubled Air Force family in the '60s when both East and West were racing to be the first to the moon. In spite of their love and their best intentions, family members become involved in landslides of international intrique, conflicting loyalties, sexual abuse, and murder. Scrappy, funny eight-year-old Madeleine anchors the book as she struggles with her love and pain and, eventually, finds answers."June Applen, The Book Mark, Atlantic Beach, FL Also a HarperAudio (0060578963, Unabridged Cassette)
Paperback
ALFRED E. SMITH: The Happy Warrior, by Christopher M. Finan (Hill & Wang, $16, 080901632X) "A rare biography in that the personal and historical are woven together like a fine tapestryand each contributes to a greater understanding of the other. A delightful read!"Zachary Marcus, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center
THE ENEMY HAS A FACE, by Gloria D. Miklowitz (Eerdmans, $16, 0802852432) "L.A. newcomer Adam can't quite really adjust from his childhood spent in Israel, except on the soccer field, where he feels most comfortable. When he vanishes one day, his parents don't know where to begin looking. His only friend is an online buddy, Sari, but his family doesn't even realize she exists. Told from his sister's point of view, this intricately woven tale explores the centuries-old battle between Israel and Palestine. Could Palestinians be to blame for Adam's disappearance? Or is he only a teenager with a hidden love?"Eileen Barron, Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena, CA
ESCAPE FROM BOTANY BAY, by Gerald and Loretta Hausman (Orchard, $16.95, 0439403278) "This is the remarkable account of Mary Bryant, who was imprisoned in England at age 19 for stealing a bonnet and was sent to Australia. The true story of her voyage aboard a prison ship, life in the penal colony of Botany Bay, and eventual escape presents the reader with not only a great story but, also, with historical information on Mary, whose voice deserves to be heard."Charlotte Deon, Pine Island Books and More!, Matlacha, FL
