Publishing News
General News
December 15-31, 2003 Edition GENERAL NEWS Primedia Names
CEO for About.com
Online Division
NEW YORK, NY/12/8/03Magazine publisher Primedia Inc. (PRM.N) has appointed Peter Horan to head its About Inc. online division. He will report to the company’s new chief executive Kelly Conlin.
Horan, who previously worked with Conlin as business publisher at International Data Group, will serve as president and CEO of About, which includes the About.com Internet network.
Conlin, formerly the president and CEO of International Data, was named chief executive of Primedia in October. Horan, succeeds Bill Day, who has left About.
New York based Primedia, publishes a number of magazines including Motor Trend, Soap Opera Digest, and New York, a society magazine which is up for sale.
Before joining About, Horan served for three years as president and CEO of DevX.Com Inc., an Internet media company. He previously spent 10 years at International Data, where he was publisher of Computerworld.
Primedia bought About.com in October 2000 for about $690 million in stock, but has struggled to maintain a profit, and has sold off About.com’s online advertising service, Sprinks, to Google.
Houghton Mifflin
Acquires Edusoft
Assessment Platform
BOSTON/12/8/03Houghton Mifflin Company today announced the acquisition of Edusoft, a San Francisco, California based assessment platform provider. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Edusoft, founded in 2000, provides a unique standards-based assessment platform that helps school districts improve student achievement through better access to performance data and instructional tools. Edusoft is the first assessment platform to allow immediate access to online student performance results and customized instructional tools based on the automatic scoring of plain paper tests. By delivering meaningful information to superintendents, principals and teachers, Edusoft empowers educators to target instruction where it is needed most.
“The accountability requirements of NCLB have made measuring and benchmarking student performance an integral part of the education process,” said Tony Lucki, Houghton Mifflin president and CEO. “Edusoft helps teachers assess student progress on state standards and create customized instruction using content from their current textbook-regardless of their chosen publisher. This type of flexibility has a dramatic impact on classroom instruction and student progress.”
Edusoft will continue to operate out of San Francisco, retaining its management, research and development, client services, and sales and marketing staff. As a division of Houghton Mifflin, Edusoft will benefit from the Company’s 170 years of experience developing quality educational content. At the same time, Edusoft will continue to offer the same open-content assessment platform, allowing educators to use materials from any publisher’s textbook or exam program.
“Houghton Mifflin is a clear leader in providing quality educational materials to school districts around the nation. The combination of Edusoft’s assessment platform with the depth of Houghton Mifflin’s instructional resources and expertise will, more than ever before, enable school districts to truly close the loop between instruction, assessment and remediation,” said Edusoft Co-Presidents Jay Kimmelman and Daniel Yates. “Our companies are thrilled to work together to provide districts with this critical educational solution.”
About Houghton Mifflin
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Company is one of the leading educational publishers in the United States, with over $1 billion in sales. Houghton Mifflin publishes textbooks, instructional technology, assessments and other educational materials for elementary and secondary schools and colleges. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning fiction and non-fiction for adults and young readers. Additionally, Houghton Mifflin offers computer-administered testing programs and services for the professional and certification markets. With its origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. The Company’s website can be found at www.hmco.com.
About Edusoft
San Francisco-based Edusoft is one of the leading providers of assessment platforms for public education in the United States. The Company was founded in 2000 with the mission to use the power of technology to address the greatest needs of public education-helping teachers teach and students learn. By delivering meaningful information to educators at all levels, Edusoft makes it practical for superintendents, principals and teachers to make informed decisions about improving student achievement on an everyday basis. The Company’s website can be found at www.edusoft.com.
PEOPLE Grann Back at Random House as Acquiring Editor
NEW YORK, NY/12/5/03Phillis Grann, who once served as vice chairman of Random House and as a company consultant, has returned after a two-year hiatus to the RH, this time as a senior acquisitions editor for Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group–a post for which she seems ideally suited.
She will acquire about six or eight titles per year and will report to Stephen Rubin, president of Doubleday Broadway. Doubleday will not create a Grann imprint or start a new line in her name.
Originally at Random House, Grann moved to Penguin Putnam last year amid much media hoopla. Meanwhile she served in various consulting roles.
Grann, who reportedly wanted to get back in the business without having to run anything, rounds out an already powerful lineup of Doubleday Broadway acquiring editors, including Nan Talese, Bill Thomas, Gerry Howard and Stacy Creamer.
Haber Joins Rodale Press
NEW YORK, NY/12/8/03Leigh Haber, formerly an executive editor at Hyperion, has joined Rodale as editor-at-large overseeing general nonfiction. As the largest independent book publisher in the U.S., Rodale publishes nearly 100 book titles each year, numerous bestsellers, has an active backlist of more than 500 titles, and aggressively markets its books through both retail and direct-marketing channels. While Rodale Books is recognized for its highly acclaimed books on health, fitness, cooking, gardening, spirituality, and nature, it is now positioned for growth as it expands its presence with exciting new entries. Recent additions to Rodale’s diverse stable of books represent a foray into new genres, including memoirs, biographies, narrative nonfiction, self-help, science and nature, psychology, current events and personal finance.
Isay Departs Harcourt
NEW YORK, NY/12/5/03Jane Isay, who has headed Harcourt as editor-in-chief for seven years, will leave the publishing house at year’s end to devote time to her own writing.
She already has one book under contract at St. Martins and other projects underway. Isay will work independently with other authors as a conceptual editor and will continue to work for Harcourt on a number of already-contracted titles.
Goldberg McDuffie Promotes Fortier
Mark Fortier has been named a partner in the public relations firm Goldberg McDuffie Communications. He has been with the company, which was founded by Lynn Goldberg, for more than five years.
Stewart Joins Sterling Lord as Agent
NEW YORK, NY/12/2/03Literary agent Douglas Stewart has joined Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc., in New York after serving as an agent at Curtis Brown, Ltd.
Among Stewart’s clients are Carolyn Parkhurst, David Mitchell, Alison McGhee and Kurt Wenzel. Founded 1979, Sterling Lord handles a variety of fiction and nonfiction, and also film/tv scripts.
THE BOOK SENSE NATIONAL BESTSELLER LIST
Published Thursday, December 11, 2003 (for sales week ended Sunday, December 7, 2003.)
Based on reporting from over 400 independent bookstores across America.
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New to the List this week:
A Ton of Great Debuts this Week
Sea of Glory: America’s Voyage of Discovery: The U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842, by Nathaniel Philbrick (HN #10, 067003231X) The Best American Short Stories 2003, edited by Walter Mosley (PF #14, 0618197338) 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, by Patricia Schultz (PN #4, 0761104844) How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, by Dr. Seuss (CI #13, 0394800796)
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HARDCOVER FICTION
1. The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown, Doubleday, $24.95, 0385504209
2. The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Mitch Albom, Hyperion, $19.95, 0786868716
3. The Murder Room
P.D. James, Knopf, $25.95, 1400041414
4. Shepherds Abiding
Jan Karon, Penguin, $24.95, 0670031208
5. The Hornet’s Nest
Jimmy Carter, S&S, $27, 0743255429
6. Skipping Christmas
John Grisham, Doubleday, $14.95, 0385508417
7. The Big Bad Wolf
James Patterson, Little Brown, $27.95, 0316602906
8. Trojan Odyssey
Clive Cussler, Putnam, $27.95, 0399150803
9. The Namesake
Jhumpa Lahiri, Houghton Mifflin, $24, 0395927218
10. Bleachers
John Grisham, Doubleday, $19.95, 0385511612
11. Pompeii
Robert Harris, Random House, $24.95, 0679428895
12. Wolves of the Calla
Stephen King, Donald M. Grant/Scribner, $35, 1880418568
13. Love
Toni Morrison, Knopf, $23.95, 0375409440
14. Blow Fly
Patricia Cornwell, Putnam, $26.95, 0399150897
15. Old School
Tobias Wolff, Knopf, $22, 0375401466
ON THE RISE:
26. The Conspiracy Club
Jonathan Kellerman, Ballantine, $26.95, 0345452577
The thinking, and analyzing, person’s dream of a murder mystery.
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. Dude, Where’s My Country?
Michael Moore, Warner, $24.95, 0446532231
2. Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
Al Franken, Dutton, $24.95, 0525947647
3. The South Beach Diet
Arthur Agatston, M.D., Rodale, $24.95, 1579546463
4. The World According to Mr. Rogers
Fred Rogers, Hyperion, $16.95, 1401301061
5. Flyboys
James Bradley, Little Brown, $25.95, 0316105848
6. Bushwhacked
Molly Ivins, Lou Dubose, Random House, $24.95, 0375507523
7. Franklin and Winston
Jon Meacham, Random House, $29.95, 0375505008
8. Living to Tell the Tale
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Knopf, $26.95, 1400041341
9. The Purpose-Driven Life
Rick Warren, Zondervan, $19.99, 0310205719
10. Sea of Glory: America’s Voyage of Discovery: The U.S. Exploring
Expedition, 1838-1842- Debut
Nathaniel Philbrick, Viking, $27.95, 067003231X
11. Every Second Counts
Lance Armstrong, Sally Jenkins, Broadway, $24.95, 0385508719
12. Who’s Looking Out for You?
Bill O’Reilly, Broadway, $24.95, 0767913795
13. A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson, Broadway, $27.50, 0767908171
14. Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea
Thomas Cahill, Nan A. Talese, $27.50, 0385495536
15. Schott’s Original Miscellany
Ben Schott, Bloomsbury, $14.95, 1582343497
ON THE RISE:
25. Hope Dies Last: Keeping Faith in Difficult Times
Studs Terkel, New Press, $25.95, 1565848373
More unparalleled oral histories from Terkel, here examining the idea of
“hope.”
TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
1. The Secret Life of Bees
Sue Monk Kidd, Penguin, $14, 0142001740
2. Life of Pi
Yann Martel, Harvest, $14, 0156027321
3. #1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Alexander McCall Smith, Anchor, $11.95, 1400034779
4. Middlesex
Jeffrey Eugenides, Picador, $15, 0312422156
5. Master and Commander
Patrick O’Brian, Norton, $13.95, 0393325172
6. Three Junes
Julia Glass, Anchor, $14, 0385721420
7. The Piano Tuner
Daniel Philippe Mason, Vintage, $14, 1400030382
8. Cry, The Beloved Country
Alan Paton, S&S, $14, 0743262174
9. Bel Canto
Ann Patchett, Perennial, $13.95, 0060934417
10. Tears of the Giraffe
Alexander McCall Smith, Anchor, $11.95, 1400031354
11. The Little Friend
Donna Tartt, Vintage, $14.95, 1400031699
12. The Last Girls
Lee Smith, Ballantine, $14.95, 0345464958
13. Good Poems
Garrison Keillor (Ed.), Penguin, $15, 0142003441
14. The Best American Short Stories 2003 – Debut
Walter Mosley (Ed.), Mariner, $13, 0618197338
15. Disgrace
J. M. Coetzee, Penguin, $13, 0140296409
ON THE RISE:
32. The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien, Houghton Mifflin, $20, 0618343997
Fans are studying their Elvish in time for the last installment of the movie
trilogy!
TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
1. Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling
Ross King, Penguin, $15, 0142003697
2. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2004
Ken Park (Ed.), World Almanac, $11.95, 0886879108
3. Seabiscuit
Laura Hillenbrand, Ballantine, $15.95, 0449005615
4. 1,000 Places to See Before You Die – Debut
Patricia Schultz, Workman, $18.95, 0761104844
5. The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2004
Old Farmer’s Almanac (Ed.), Old Farmer’s Almanac, $5.95, 1571982973
6. Small Wonder
Barbara Kingsolver, Perennial, $12.95, 0060504080
7. Holidays on Ice
David Sedaris, Back Bay, $8.95, 0316779237
8. Nickel and Dimed
Barbara Ehrenreich, Owl, $13, 0805063897
9. Bringing Down the House
Ben Mezrich, Free Press, $14, 0743249992
10. Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight
Alexandra Fuller, Random House, $13.95, 0375758992
11. Tuesdays with Morrie
Mitch Albom, Broadway, $12.95, 076790592X
12. The Four Agreements
Don Miguel Ruiz, Amber-Allen, $12.95, 1878424319
13. Book Lust
Nancy Pearl, Sasquatch, $16.95, 1570613818
14. Under the Tuscan Sun
Frances Mayes, Broadway, $15, 0767916069
15. Fast Food Nation
Eric Schlosser, Perennial, $13.95, 0060938455
ON THE RISE:
26. The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare
Chris Smith, Houghton Mifflin, $18.95, 0618391002
Every sword and spear ever imagined by Tolkien is illustrated in this
lavish, encyclopedic book.
MASS MARKET
1. Angels & Demons
Dan Brown, Pocket, $7.99, 0671027360
2. Deception Point
Dan Brown, Pocket, $7.99, 0671027387
3. Prey
Michael Crichton, Avon, $7.99, 0061015725
4. Mystic River
Dennis Lehane, HarperTorch, $7.99, 0380731851
5. Crossroads of Twilight
Robert Jordan, Tor, $7.99, 0812571339
6. Key of Knowledge
Nora Roberts, Jove, $7.99, 0515136379
7. Hornet Flight
Ken Follett, Signet, $7.99, 0451210743
8. Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution
Robert C. Atkins, M.D., Avon, $7.99, 006001203X
9. Visions of Sugar Plums
Janet Evanovich, St. Martin’s, $6.99, 0312986343
10. Reversible Errors
Scott Turow, Warner Vision, $7.99, 0446612626
CHILDREN’S FICTION
1. Eragon
Christopher Paolini, Knopf, $18.95, 0375826688
2. Inkheart
Cornelia Funke, Chicken House, $19.95, 0439531640
3. A Series of Unfortunate Events #10: The Slippery Slope
Lemony Snicket, HarperCollins, $10.99, 0064410137
4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, $29.99, 043935806X
5. The Thief Lord
Cornelia Funke, Chicken House, $6.99, 043942089X
6. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Ann Brashares, Delacorte, $8.95, 0385730586
7. The Tale of Despereaux
Kate DiCamillo, Candlewick, $17.99, 0763617229
8. A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning
Lemony Snicket, HarperTrophy, $10.99, 0064407667
9. The Amulet of Samarkand
Jonathan Stroud, Hyperion, $17.95, 078681859X
10. Holes
Louis Sachar, Yearling, $6.50, 0440419468
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, $8.99, 0439139600
12. Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy,
Part 2
Dav Pilkey, Blue Sky, $4.99, 0439376122
13. Loamhedge
Brian Jacques, Philomel, $23.99, 0399237240
14. A Series of Unfortunate Events #2: The Reptile Room
Lemony Snicket, HarperTrophy, $10.99, 0064407675
15. Because of Winn-Dixie
Kate DiCamillo, Candlewick, $5.99, 0763616052
ON THE RISE:
32. Judy Moody
Megan McDonald, Candlewick, $5.99, 0763612316
Junie B., move over! There’s a new girl in town, and she’s moody!
CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATED
1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll, Robert Sabuda (Illus.), S&S, $25.95, 0689847432
2. The Polar Express
Chris Van Allsburg, Houghton Mifflin, $18.95, 0395389496
3. Olivia . . . and the Missing Toy
Ian Falconer, Atheneum, $16.95, 0689852916
4. Stranger in the Woods
Carl R. Sams II, Jean Stoick, Carl R. Sams, $19.95, 0967174805
5. Tails
Matthew Van Fleet, Red Wagon, $12.95, 0152167730
6. Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), HarperCollins, $7.99, 0694003611
7. Diary of a Worm
Doreen Cronin, Harry Bliss (Illus.), Joanna Cotler/ HarperCollins, $15.99,
006000150X
8. How I Became a Pirate
Melinda Long, David Shannon (Illus.), Harcourt, $16, 0152018484
9. The Cat in the Hat
Dr. Seuss, Random House, $8.99, 039480001X
10. On Noah’s Ark
Jan Brett, Putnam, $16.99, 0399240284
11. Walter the Farting Dog
William Kotzwinkle, Glenn Murray, Audrey Colman (Illus.), Frog, $15.95,
1583940537
12. Brundibar
Tony Kushner, Maurice Sendak (Illus.), Hyperion, $19.95, 0786809043
13. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! – Debut
Dr. Seuss, Random House, $14, 0394800796
14. The Night Before Christmas Pop-Up
Robert Sabuda, Little Simon, $24.95, 0689838999
15. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle, Putnam, $9.99, 0399226907
May We Recommend
Hardcover
MR. TIMOTHY, by Louis Bayard (HarperCollins, $24.95, 0060534214) “Louis Bayard doesn’t squander his great premise. He manages to write a thriller using Dickens’ characters without going against Dickens’ spirit. Mr. Timothy is lots of fun.”Caleb Wilson, Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Jackson, TN
FOR LOVE OF INSECTS, by Thomas Eisner (Harvard Univ. Pr., $29.95, 0674011813) “Eisner, a Cornell professor, has spent his career researching the lives of insects. His totally fascinating book recounts his discoveries in a world most of us have remained oblivious to, but we will never again be oblivious after reading this book.”Willard Williams, The Toadstool Bookshop, Peterborough, NH
Paperback
MAIGRET’S CHRISTMAS, by Georges Simenon (Harvest, $14, 0156028530) “Simenon’s wonderful stories of Inspector Jules Maigret have always been sensitive to weather, so what could be more delicious than a collection set in the holiday season? Here are nine cases, including the classic “Seven Little Crosses in a Notebook.””Lansing Sexton, Olsson’s Books & Records, Washington, DC
Roderick Townley for Children 9 -12
INTO THE LABYRINTH (Atheneum, $16.95, 0689846150) “In this sequel to The Great Good Thing, the characters who live in the storybook are rushing to keep up with the many readers they get when the book is republished, and it becomes even more difficult when the book is loaded onto the Web. There are many funny scenesSylvie the Princess persuades the Writer to add a new character who can teach yoga to the cast to relieve their stress and lots of adventure in cyberspace.”Nancy Felton, Broadside Bookshop, Northampton, MA
The first fun book is available in paperback: THE GREAT GOOD THING (Aladdin, $4.99 paper, 0689853289) Also a Listening Library Audio (0807204854)
