TODAY'S NEWS

Frankfurt 2009 Roundup: The Distress Over Digital and the Books That Got People Talking
By Rachel Deahl
“Frankfurt is not a book fair, it’s a rights fair,” as one foreign editor noted. And rights were selling briskly, if more cheaply at the 2009 edition of the global gathering. Tougher to nail down from the event was the European stance toward digital publishing. While there was an undeniable significant “e” presence—from Jane Friedman’s unveiling of her e-book venture, Open Road, to the abundance of panels on the digital market to the display of e-Readers in the China forum—there was also a subtle backlash, with some harsh reactions to the perceived threat of piracy and a rash of anti-Google sentiment. The recession had only a minor impact on attendance, with the number of trade visitors off 2.7%, but rights center registration up 2.6%. Read on »

Mystery Device? Spring Design Unveils New Digital Reader
By Calvin Reid
In a curious coincidence, Spring Design, a California-based hardware engineering firm, has unveiled images of a new dual-screen digital reading device that looks suspiciously like images of a rumored Barnes & Noble-sponsored device that circulated throughout the Internet last week. Both devices feature a 6" black & white e-ink screen placed just above a smaller, full-color LCD touch screen and web browser, and both are said to run on Google’s Android OS. The release of images of these devices comes as B&N is about to announce plans for a new digital reading device at a press conference scheduled for tomorrow, October 20, in New York City. Read on »

Trio of Instant Books from Triumph
By Claire Kirch
Triumph Books, the Chicago-based imprint of Random House renowned for churning out full-color sports books on short notice, is taking full advantage this month of what publisher Mitch Rogatz calls “fleeting excitement in the marketplace,” by releasing three instant books—one of them a flip-book about Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, who previously quarterbacked for the Green Bay Packers; another a guide to professional bull-riding; and the third an irreverent look at the Obama administration. Read on »

DNAML Launches Revamped eBook.com Retail Site
By Calvin Reid
Australia-based e-book developer DNAML is launching eBook.com, a revamped e-book retail site offering the latest in new frontlist e-books as well as extensive backlist titles. EBook.com also features a wide range of interactive functionality for consumers.

Through the site’s eBook Club, eBook.com members can build customized webpages (with unique URLs) through which they can share their favorite authors and books with friends and family via social networking sites. Ebook Club membership is free and members also receive a 25% discount on e-books from major publishers. Read on »

Heading to National Bookstore Day
Nearly 50 booksellers have already signed up to participate in National Bookstore Day. Set for November 7, National Bookstore Day is being coordinated by PW to highlight the importance of bookstores to individual communities. Among the most recent bookstores to join are Cover to Cover Booksellers, Village Books and Merritt Bookstore. To participate in National Bookstore Day, or to learn about what others are doing to promote the day, go to www.publishersweekly.com/bookstoreday.

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Job Moves
Chris Lederer, who had served as interim COO of Jane Friedman’s new company, Open Road Integrated Media, has left the company and has resumed consulting. In a statement, Lederer said he and Open Road “have mutually decided that Chris will no longer have an ongoing relationship with the company.” He can be reached at (917) 392-6884 or chris_lederer@helios-nyc.com.

The PW Morning Report: Monday, October 19, 2009
Book and publishing news from across the Web: EU Out of Google Settlement?; Jonze’s Wild Journey; Plastic Logic’s Que; An Open Road to Backlist; German-E; ‘Thelonious Monk’ Reviewed. Read on »

AUTHORS ON THE AIR

Authors on the Air: Suzanne Somers; Gail Collins; Sidney Offit
This morning on Today: Suzanne Somers, whose Knockout: Interviews with Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer—And How to Prevent Getting It in the First Place (Crown, 978-0307587466, $25.99) pubs tomorrow. Read on »

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Friend and Friends
Vanity Fair editor of creative development David Friend and VF contributing illustrator Robert Risko celebrated the release of Vanity Fair’s Proust Questionnaire: 100 Luminaries Ponder Love, Death, Happiness, and the Meaning of Life (Rodale Books) at Clic Bookstore and Gallery in New York City on October 13. Submit your pictures here »