TODAY'S NEWS

Amazon Launches Kindle DX
Amazon introduced the third edition of its Kindle this morning, a version that, in addition to offering trade books, will now display textbooks, computer books and cookbooks on a 9.7 inch electronic display screen that includes 16 shades of gray. Price for Kindle DX is $489 and Amazon will start shipping the device in the summer. Read on »

Harlequin Has First Quarter Gains in Sales, Earnings
by Jim Milliot
Harlequin was a bright spot for parent company Torstar Corp. in the first quarter ended March 31, reporting gains in both sales and earnings. Revenue rose 13.5% in the period, to C$124.5 million ($105.9 million at current exchange rates) and operating income jumped 19.1%, to C$20.6 million ($17.5 million). Results benefitted from a weaker Canadian dollar, but even excluding currency translation--which added C$11.5 million to sales and C$1.1 million to earnings--sales and profits were up. Read on »

Hachette Forms Speakers Bureau
Hachette Book Group is the latest major publisher to form a speakers bureau for its authors. The publisher has teamed up with Greater Talent Network to launch the Hachette Speakers Bureau. Authors from all of HBG’s various imprints will be represented by HSB with the list of authors currently signed on available at www.hachettespeakersbureau.com.

David Young, chairman and CEO of HBG, said the creation of the bureau will help the publisher “establish new points of connection with consumers.” HBG’s partner, GTN, was founded in 1981 and represents more than 100 celebrity speakers on the lecture circuit.

Patterson Among Five Reading Innovators Honored by National Book Foundation
By Lynn Andriani
The board of the National Book Foundation has awarded its first Innovations in Reading Prizes. The board selected the winners—one individual and four organizations—because of their innovative efforts to share their love of books and reading at a grassroots level, both in their communities and online. Each winner will receive $2,500 and a certificate. Read on »

Boston Book Festival Slated for October
By Judith Rosen
The city that was once home to Hawthorne, Longfellow, Emerson and Wheatley is hoping to join the ranks of other major communities with vibrant book festivals by launching a festival of its own presented by State Street Corporation. The Boston Book Festival, which will be free and open to the public, will take place in downtown Boston on Saturday October 24 and is the first of what festival organizers plan to make an annual event. Read on »

Blogs

MORE STORIES

Comings and Goings
If you've been laid off or recently left your job and would like to pass along your contact information to others in the business, send details to pwletters@reedbusiness.com. Please include your full name and former title/company.

Paul Harrington, former senior sales manager of Continuum International Publishing Group, can be reached at paul_harrington1@yahoo.com.

You can find a full list of all those who have appeared in Comings and Goings here.

The PW Morning Report
McCarthy wins PEN/ Saul Bellow Award; FSG to Rush ‘Miracle on Hudson Book’; Advance Details on New Kindle; Apple Unlikely to Buy Twitter; Poet Still Missing. Read on »

AUTHORS ON THE AIR

Authors on the Air: The Unhealthy Truth; How the World Makes Love; The Coming Plague
On this morning’s Today show: AllergyKids founder Robyn O'Brien, whose new book is The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making us Sick -- And What We Can Do About It (Broadway, 978-0767930710, $24.95). Read on »

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Getting 'Fresh' In Cambridge
Last Thursday, friends and fans of author Susanne Freidberg came out to the Cuban/French restaurant Chez Henri in Cambridge, Mass., to celebrate the publication of her book, Fresh: A Perishable History (Harvard University Press). The party featured snacks based on each chapter heading from the book’s table of contents. HUP publicity director Mary Kate Maco (seated) is pictured here with Freidberg.
Submit your pictures here

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