TODAY'S NEWS

Softplay Buys Kidsbooks
Softplay Inc., publisher of cloth books and playsets for infants and toddlers, has acquired Kidsbooks, a publisher of children’s books in a variety of formats. Kidsbooks publishes approximately 100 new books annually and has a backlist of 500 titles. The acquisition unites the two companies under Dan Blau who cofounded Kidsbooks and helped start Softplay as a Kidsbooks imprint in the mid 1990s. Blau sold Kidsbooks shortly after the launch of Softplay to focus on growing the new imprint.

Blau will retain the Kidsbooks name as an imprint and editorial and product development functions will remain in Kidsbooks’ Boston office under the direction of Kidsbooks president Kevin Murphy. Backoffice operations will be moved to Softplay’s Chicago offices. Among the SoftPlay licenses are ones with Fisher-Price, Sesame Workshop, Dora the Explorer and VeggieTales.

Hamptons Jitney Refuses to Promote Disinformation Satire
By Lynn Andriani
Miles Jaffe’s The Hamptons Dictionary: The Essential Guide to Class Warfare casts a satirical look at life in the posh Long Island vacationland, with definitions of terms like “tanorexia” and local takes on phrases like “hampster cage” (a group rental in the Hamptons). When the book’s publisher, the Disinformation Company, paid Hampton Jitney—a motor coach company that provides transportation between Manhattan and the Hamptons—to put copies of the book in sample bags to 500 passengers in each of June, July and August, Jitney’s marketing team didn’t look closely at the book before giving it to customers on a recent summer trip. If they had, they’d have seen that the book defines the Jitney as a “cattle car” and a “bus for cidiots,” (defined as idiots from the city) with an accompanying illustration. Read on »

Borders Store Becomes Radio Booth
By Lynn Andriani
Starting today, life coach and CNBC regular Mel Robbins will broadcast her radio program “Make It Happen” live each weekday afternoon from a new radio booth inside the Borders store at Boston’s Downtown Crossing. The program is syndicated in 40 markets across the country and streams live daily from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST on www.Borders.com.

“Make It Happen” is a call-in advice and interview show in which Robbins teams with her on-air partner, Hank Norman, to take calls and e-mails from listeners and offer advice to dilemmas and conflicts. Now that Robbins is collaborating with Borders, she will also interview authors and musicians. Today, Robbins will talk with Dennis Lehane, whose new novel, The Given Day, goes on sale in September. Lehane will be at the store shooting an exclusive interview for the bookseller. Read on »

On Sale Next Week: Suzanne Brockmann
By Charlotte Abbott
Brockman’s “exciting, if long-winded” 13th novel in her bestselling Troubleshooters series answers a question posed in 2004’s Hot Target: what happened to former Troubleshooter op Vinh Murphy? “Readers unfamiliar with the players might need a scorecard,” said the PW review, “but Brockmann ignites sufficient sparks to keep the blaze going.” Read on »

Job Moves
Mauro DiPreta has been promoted from editorial director to v-p and publishing director of HarperEntertainment. DiPreta, who will retain the title of executive editor at William Morrow, has worked on such titles as Slash by Slash, Mindfreak by Criss Angel and Red Sox Rule by Michael Holley.

Emma Parry is leaving the agency she co-founded with Christy Fletcher, Fletcher and Parry. After five years with Fletcher, Parry is leaving to pursue new challenges. The agency will absorb Parry's client and her authors will work with other staffers at the agency, including Melissa Chinchillo and Donald Lamm, the former Chairman of WW Norton.

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Correction
The Random House Audio titles Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull and Twilight are not among the titles being offered without DRM by Simply Audiobooks as reported in the July 3 PW Daily. Both titles are only available with DRM. In addition, Simply Audiobooks currently has 1,000 RH titles and will add 3,500 titles over the course of the summer. RH Audio has been offering DRM-free titles through a number of vendors for several months.

AUTHORS ON THE AIR

Authors on the Air: Rome 1960; Broadway Barks; Ghosts Among Us
Journalist David Maraniss was on this morning's Today discussing Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World (S&S, $26.95; S&S Audio abridged CD, $29.95), which PW called a “colorful retrospective. Maraniss provides an intelligent context for his evocative reportage.” He also appeared on Morning Joe. After the jump: Bernadette Peters goes to the dogs and Oprah samples from delicious food from Mrs. Seinfeld's book. Read on »

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Greenland in L.A.
At a launch party for Seth Greenland’s new book, Shining City (Bloomsbury), the author hosted friends, local booksellers and the media at his home in Pacific Palisades. Pictured here at the party, which was held yesterday, are (l. to r.): David Ulin of the Los Angeles Times Book Review; Greenland; and Kate O’Laughlin of Village Books (in Pacific Palisades). Submit your pictures here »

JOB OF THE DAY

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