TODAY'S NEWS

New Orleans Stores Still Closed; Area Stores Fare Better
by Edward Nawotka
As bookstores in New Orleans slowly start to re-open after Hurricane Gustav, some booksellers along the Gulf Coast that were outside the immediate area affected by the storm reported a more mixed picture.

Russ Adams, owner of Bienville Books in Mobile, Ala., said that the mandatory evacuation of New Orleans meant more customers coming into the story as they fled the hurricane. Adams’ store experienced minor water damage in the attic due to the storm and lost some ceiling tiles.

Dale Julian, owner of Down Town Books in Apalachicola, Fla. echoed Adam’s observation that there were more customers with Louisiana accents coming into his store, though that was balanced out with a slight downturn in normal weekend traffic. “I think the Weather Channel scared people off,” he said. Though Julian sent his staff into “battle stations” – taking everything out of his windows and raising all stock up off the floor – there was no damage to his store from the storm. Read on »

The Truth Behind Brad Meltzer’s ‘The Book of Lies’
By Laura Hudson
When bestselling novelist—and award-winning comic book writer—Brad Meltzer stopped for a 2006 book signing in Sarasota, Florida, he never anticipated that it would change the way he thought about the story of Superman, or inspire a new novel, The Book of Lies, published this week by Grand Central Publishing. The experience even led to the launch of OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com, a new nonprofit dedicated to saving the house in Cleveland where Superman was created in the 1930s.

“I was talking about my love of the character Superman, when this older woman stands up and raises her hand, and tells me, ‘I know more about Superman than you’ll ever know,’” Meltzer recalled. “I’m thinking, lady, there’s no way you know more about Superman than I know. And then she said, ‘I do. Superman creator Jerry Siegel is my uncle.’” Read on »

Fulcrum Joins Consortium, Melville Heads to Random
Beginning January 1, Fulcrum Publishing will join Consortium for its trade distribution. The Denver-based company had been doing its own distribution, but publisher Sam Scinta said changes in the industry prompted the switch. “We obviously live in a world where it is getting difficult not only for the independent booksellers, but also for the big chains to spend time with every publisher in the country. Being part of Consortium will ensure that booksellers get to know all of our great titles,” Scinta said. Consortium’s sales force will sell Fulcrum’s titles to the entire book trade and specialty retailers, and the company will retain an in-house corporate as well as special sales manager. Fulcrum will also keep our current distribution in Canada through Codasat, Europe through Turnaround Publisher Services, and Australia through Peribo.

While Fulcrum is joining Consortium, Melville House is moving its distribution from Consortium to Random House, also beginning January 1. Publisher Dennis Johnson said the move to RH “will allow us to keep doing the kind of books that are the stuff of a small indy, such as hard-hitting political investigation or the avant-gardist novel.”

Page to Screen: An Erotic Thriller and a YA Heavy
By Rachel Deahl
After a hiatus this summer Page to Screen, PW's roundup of news about books being sold (or about to be sold) in Hollywood, is back. This week an erotic thriller fetches a hefty sum and a YA heavy grabs studio attention.

Roberta Brown, of Brown Literary Agency, has sold film rights to a 2009-slated erotic thriller by Jo Davis called When Alex Was Bad. Producer Cathy Schulman, whose credits include Paul Haggis' Best Picture-winner Crash and the indie Thumbsucker, optioned the book for high six figures; IPG's Joel Gotler was the co-agent. The book, which NAL is publishing, follows a wife who, in an attempt to save her marriage, allows her husband to live out a series of sexual fantasies with other women. A murder plot ensues.

Don Laventhall of Harold Ober is about to start shopping film rights to Lowis Lowry's latest YA novel, The Birthday Ball. Laventhall has been busy with the two-time Newbery winner; last year he sold her 1993-published Newbery winning novel The Giver to Warner Brothers for seven figures and he just recently wrapped up a deal for film rights on her February-published book, The Willoughbys. Lowry's other Newbery winner, Number the Stars, is also under option.

If you have something out on submission you’d like to discuss, or want to share news of an option you’ve just sold, contact Rachel Deahl at rachel.deahl@reedbusiness.com. 

Job Moves
A lot of commotion at HarperOne this week. Cynthia DiTiberio has been bumped up at the imprint from associate editor to editor. She's worked on The Chronicles of Narnia movie tie-in projects and with authors like Jeffery Marx, Phil Gulley, Arielle Ford and Gregory Lang. In the publicity department at HarperOne Julie Burton has been named associate director of publicity, arriving from MacAdam/Cage where she was director of publicity. Leslie Davisson has also come on board as a publicity manager, having decamped from Chronicle Books where she was, most recently, senior publicist. And Emily Grandstaff has been promoted from publicist to senior publicist.

After three years at Vigliano Associates Kirby Kim has left to join Endeavor as an agent. In his new position he will continue to work on fiction, non-fiction and adult titles.

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The PW Morning Report
A daily round-up of the latest publishing news: U.S. and U.K. Publishers Found for The Jewel of Medina; Lynne Spears Memoir A September Pub; Perseus’ "Constellation"; Pinch Is Trumped; and New Orhan Pamuk Novel Read on »

AUTHORS ON THE AIR

Authors on the Air: American Wife; September Songs; The Comeback
Yesterday on The Early Show, Curtis Sittenfeld discussed her new novel American Wife (Random House, $26; RH Audio abridged CD, $34.95). Based loosely on the life of Laura Bush, it pubbed on Tuesday. PW called it an "uneven third novel" with a "a weak conclusion that doesn't live up to the fine storytelling that precedes it." After the jump: Maggie Scarf and former Montague Bookmill owner David Lovelace. Read on »

PICTURE OF THE DAY

'Snuff' Brings the Stars to The Strand
On Saturday the Strand Book Store hosted a ticketed event for Chuck Palahniuk whose book, Snuff (Doubleday), bowed in May. The appearance marked the author’s first in New York City to promote the book. Palahnuik (far left) is pictured here with Clark Gregg, the director of the upcoming movie adaptation of Palahniuk’s book, Choke; Sam Rockwell, the star of Choke; and the author Amy Hempel. Submit your pictures here »

JOB OF THE DAY

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