TODAY'S NEWS

RH Latest Publisher to Use e-Readers In-House
Random House has joined the growing ranks of publishers using Sony Readers to distribute galleys and other preview material to employees. At its sales meeting over the weekend, the company announced that the entire RH field and home office adult and children sales staff will receive Sony Readers in early April.

According to RH, the company has bought “several hundred” readers for its sales management, reps, and home office sales support staff. The sales department will use the device to read manuscripts and other relevant material in digital form. The company’s goal is to, as quickly as possible, “eliminate altogether manuscript dispersal to our sales group by migrating this reading experience of many thousands of paper pages to the electronic reader,” said spokesperson Stuart Applebaum.

Hachette, Simon & Schuster and St. Martin’s are among the other companies that are already using the Reader to distribute ARCs and other material in-house. The complete story on their activities is in the March 31 issue of PW.

Bantam Preempts Debut Thriller; Deval Patrick Signs B'way Books
by Matthew Thornton & Rachel Deahl
Bantam v-p Kate Miciak just acquired a debut novel by Warren Fahy, Fragment, with a substantial six-figure preemptive offer to Peter McGuigan at Foundry. This environmental thriller is about a reality television show that lands on an unexplored island only to discover that the first cataclysmic invasion of Earth may not come from outside our planet, but within. Bantam holds North American rights to Fragment and a second Fahy book. Read on »

Skyhorse Is Set to Ride Jesse Ventura to Fame and Fortune
By Dermot McEvoy
After selling the Lyons Press to Globe Pequot in 2001, Tony Lyons by 2006 was ready to establish his new venture, Skyhorse Publishing. (Incidentally, desperate for a name for his new venture, Lyons borrowed Skyhorse from Brando Skyhorse, one of his senior editors.) Skyhorse began publishing in the spring of 2007 and netted $2.7 million in sales. The projection for 2008 is $4.1 million. Read on »

Web Exclusive Reviews: Week of 3/31/2008
This week: Poetry, poets, puppies and psychopathology; marginalized voices from Native America and the Civil Rights movement; dedicated craftsmen and flighty counter-dependents; and a dazzling debut novel with a "polyphonic narrative." Plus: how do you measure up against McCain, Clinton and Obama? Read on »

The PW Morning Report, March 31, 2008
By Dermot McEvoy
A daily round-up of the latest publishing news: Conte to Spill BALCO Juice; Lupica on Canseco; Literary Obits; Stovepipe Horsley; New Keneally; Amazon’s New Rules; Blog Book Deal; Mrs. Falwell’s Book; and Oddest Book Title Read on »

Blogs

AUTHORS ON THE AIR

Authors on the Air: Celebrating Maya; The Making of FDR; A Liberal on Colbert
Today, Good Morning America featured Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration (Doubleday, $30; Brilliance Audio unabridged CD, $26.95), which pubs tomorrow. This evening on The Colbert Report, The Nation columnist Eric Alterman explains Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America (Viking, $24.95; Blackstone Audio unabridged CD, $29.95). Read on »

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Alec Baldwin and Others Celebrate the Pushcart Prize
National Public Radio and the Symphony Space theatre celebrated readings of short stories from the Pushcart Prize on March 26 in New York. Pictured (L to R): Pushcart founder and publisher Bill Henderson with readers/actors Khris Lewin, Oscar nominated actor Alec Baldwin, Tony award-winner James Naughton, and Symphony Space artistic director Isaiah Sheffer. Submit your pictures here »

JOB OF THE DAY

PW VIRTUAL EDITION

To access the latest issue of Publishers Weekly no matter where you are, be sure to take a look at PW's Virtual Edition -- available online anytime. If you're not already a subscriber, take a look at a sample issue here.