TODAY'S NEWS

First Self-Publishing Book Expo Planned
By Lynn Andriani
Publishing veterans Diane Mancher and Karen Mender are launching Self-Publishing Book Expo, an event that will focus on self-published books and the companies that produce them. SPBE will offer attending authors a place to exhibit and sell their books to the general public--and agents and publishers--as well as offering representatives from self-publishing companies to showcase their services. The event is slated for November. Read on »

Andrews McMeel Signs Deal with Bon Appétit
By Lynn Andriani
Andrews McMeel Publishing has signed a cookbook deal with Bon Appétit magazine. The house will release The Bon Appétit Desserts Cookbook in fall 2010. Bon Appétit has previously published books with Wiley; the most recent one, Bon Appétit Fast Easy Fresh, won a 2008 IACP award. The new book will include more than 850 recipes culled from the magazine’s extensive archives in addition to some never-before-published recipes. Read on »

Lulu.com Launches Lulu Poetry, Introduces Contest
By Lynn Andriani
Self-publishing site Lulu has launched a Poetry site, www.Poetry.com, where users can connect with other poets and digitally publish their own verse at no cost. The site resembles Lulu.com in that it is targeted toward writers who want to connect with their peers and have access to resources to receive reviews and feedback on their work. Unlike Lulu.com, Poetry.com features a “reward and recognition component” through poetry contests with daily ($25), monthly ($250) and yearly ($5,000) prizes awarded. The Lulu poetry community will select the winners. Read on »

Howe Wins Lilly Poetry Prize
Novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet Fanny Howe has been awarded one of the nation’s largest literary prizes, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize for Life Achievement, the Poetry Foundation announced yesterday. The $100,000 prize will be presented to Howe at an awards ceremony at the Arts Club of Chicago on May 19. Read on »

Q&Q Editor Derek Weiler Dies at 40
By Leigh Anne Williams
The Canadian publishing world is mourning the sudden death of Derek Weiler, editor of the book trade magazine Quill & Quire. Weiler, 40, had battled a chronic health problem for many years with such stoicism that very few people knew about it. He died on Sunday, April 12 at his home in Toronto. During his years at Quill & Quire, Weiler worked his way up through every editorial job at the magazine ­-- first as staff writer, review editor, news editor, and in 2004, he was named editor. A graduate of the University of Waterloo and Centennial College in Toronto, he was passionate about books and also wrote and reviewed for such publications as the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, Driven and Chatelaine. Read on »

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MORE STORIES

Henry Hubert, Pub Rep, Dies at 73
Henry Hubert, veteran publishers’ sales rep in the Rocky Mountain territory for over 35 years, died suddenly at his home in Denver on April 11. He was 73.

Hubert, who was born in New York and graduated from the University of Kentucky, began his career as a bookseller at the Scribner’s Bookstore on Fifth Avenue in 1959 and remained for several years before moving to Simon & Schuster to work in the sales department. He became a house rep for the publisher in the early 1970s, moving to and remaining in Denver for the rest of his life. Read on »

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.

Robin Lenz, former managing editor at Publishers Weekly, can be reached at rilnj@yahoo.com.

Craig Teicher, former associate editor at Publishers Weekly, can be reached at craig@craigmorganteicher.com. (Teicher will continue as PW's poetry editor.)

Steve King, former director of digital sales at Blackstone Audio, can be reached at steve.bd.king@gmail.com.

Larry Lambert, formerly in Random House's client services department, can be reached at lostlamb49@gmail.com.

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

AUTHORS ON THE AIR

Authors on the Air: Kristin Chenoweth; Tori Spelling; I Will Teach You To Be Rich
Today, Good Morning America featured Tony Award–winning singer-actress Kristin Chenoweth, whose memoir A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages (Touchstone, 978-1416580553, $25; SpringWater unabridged CD, $32.99) pubbed yesterday. Read on »

PICTURE OF THE DAY

WrestleMania at the Public Library
If you thought the Young Adult Library Services Association and WrestleMania sound like strange bedfellows, think again. The two groups teamed up for the WrestleMania Reading Challenge on April 4 at the Houston Public Library. The event, which also received support from Mattel, featured teens competing to win ringside seats at WrestleMania XXV; participants had to correctly answer questions about the books Shift by Jennifer Bradbury and Soccer Chick Rules by Dawn FitzGerald. Pictured here (l. to r.) are: winner Stephanie Diaz (grades 7-8 category), WWE diva Layla, winner Christian Cervantes (grades 9-12 category) and wrestler Matt Hardy.

Submit your pictures here