TODAY'S NEWS

Settlement In Google Lawsuit Appears Near
by Andrew Albanese & Jim Milliot
Although neither party would offer a confirmantion, several sources have told PW and Library Journal that a settlement in the three-year old copyright infringement case filed by the AAP and five publishers against Google is close to being settled. The publishers filed suit in October 2005 after Google launched its so-called Library Project that scans copies of books from libraries, including scanning titles that are under copyright. Read on »

Little, Brown's Reagan Arthur Gets Eponymous Imprint
By Lynn Andriani
Little, Brown editor Reagan Arthur has her own imprint: Reagan Arthur Books. Arthur has had a string of critical and commercial successes at Little, Brown, including Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian and Joshua Ferris’s Then We Came to the End—and just last week signed a deal with writer and actor Tina Fey.

The first list for Reagan Arthur Books will appear in fall 2009, and the house estimates that the imprint will grow to 15 to 20 books a year by 2012. In her new role, Arthur will continue to report to Little, Brown editor-in-chief Geoff Shandler. Joining her team will be Oliver Haslegrave as associate editor and Marlena Bittner as assistant director of publicity. Additional support staff will be appointed in the weeks ahead.

LB executive v-p and publisher Michael Pietsch said Arthur’s “association with a book has come to signify a work of quality with a clear commercial hook, and by emblazoning her name on the book itself our goal is to carry that imprimatur of quality to the reading public.”

BEA Forms Conference Advisory Board
By Lynn Andriani
Hoping to foster connections and more interaction between publishers, booksellers and authors, BEA has formed a Conference Advisory Board made up of about a dozen book industry executives. It is the first of several advisory boards that BEA will form going forward. Read on »

Howell Book House Partners with ASPCA for Kids’ Series
By Lynn Andriani
John Wiley imprint Howell Book House is partnering with The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) on a new series focused on the connection children share with animals. Books in the ASPCA Kids imprint will be 8" by 8" paperbacks with 40 color photos and priced at $12.99 each. The first books will debut in March 2009. The first titles, aimed at children aged nine to 12, will be Amazing Pet Tricks, Kids Making a Difference for Animals, Animals at Work and Having Fun with Your Dog. Wiley publisher Cynthia Kitchel said the books will be written cooperatively by ASPCA experts and knowledgeable pet authors. A percentage of the books’ purchase price will support the ASPCA’s mission.

Page to Screen: An Imaginary Friend and 'Hedge Fund' Gals
By Rachel Deahl
We hear that Sally Willcox at CAA is shopping film rights for Chris McCoy's YA debut, Scurvy Goonda. The book, which Knopf bought in summer 2007, follows a 15-year-old's attempt to stamp out his titular imaginary friend. McCoy, who contributes to McSweeney's, inked a two-book deal with Knopf.

Also on the shopping front, Josie Freedman at ICM is just about to take out Jill Kargman's Ex Mrs. Hedge Fund. The book, about friends ousted from their social circle after they divorce their brother-husbands, went to Dutton in a two-book deal and may just cash in on the current Hollywood craze for all things economic-meltdown-related. (See the recent deal for the John Wells-to-direct-and-Ben-Affleck-to-possibly-star vehicle The Company Men, about an exec who's downsized.) We'll say this much: Kargman (Momzillas) has a timely title.

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Job Moves
Nicole Kuritsky has joined the Random House audio publishing group as publicist. Kuritsky arrives from Grand Central where she's been a publicist for the past three years working on campaigns for such authors as Nicholas Sparks, Nelson DeMille and Amy Sedaris.

A number of promotions and hires at HarperCollins this week. At HarperOne Nancy Hancock has been named executive editor. Hancock has worked for Rodale, S&S and McGraw-Hill. At HC's Speakers Bureau Jamie Brickhouse has been promoted to v-p/director; Julie Elmuccio has been promoted to assistant manager; and Blair Bryant Nichols has been promoted to coordinator. In the house's academic and library marketing department Doreen Davidson has been promoted to associate director of academic marketing and Bobby Brinson to senior manager of library marketing.

Rhalee Hughes, former director of publicity at Penguin Young Readers Group, has launched her own publicity firm. The firm, rhalee hughes public relations + marketing, can be found online at www.rhalee.com and Hughes can be contacted at rhughes@rhalee.com.

AUTHORS ON THE AIR

Authors on the Air: The Shadow Factory; The Eleventh Man; The Forever War
Today on Good Morning America, James Bamford offered a sneak peek into The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America (Doubleday, $27.95; RH Audio CD, $29.95), which pubs on October 14. After the jump: Ivan Doig, reporter Dexter Filkins and others. Read on »

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Cowboy Fitness
Terrell Owens’ recent book party in Dallas for his new title, T.O.’s Finding Fitness (Simon & Schuster), drew a number of the Cowboy’s teammates. Owens (c.) is pictured here at the event with running backs Marion Barber (l.) and Felix Jones. Submit your pictures here »

JOB OF THE DAY

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