Author Files Suit Against Planeta Over Spanish Editions

Sherry Argov, author of Why Men Love Bitches and Why Men Marry Bitches, has filed a lawsuit against Group Planeta and four affiliated companies, charging the Spanish publishing giant with copyright infringement and breach of contract related to the sale of the Spanish-language editions of Argov's two titles in Latin America as well as in Europe and England. According to the suit, Planeta and its Editorial Diana Mexicana subsidiary have underpaid Argov by at least $1 million.

'Boston Review' Goes Glossy, Signs Spitzer

After 35 years as a tabloid magazine, Boston Review relaunched this fall as a full-color glossy. It also moved to a new home at MIT and adopted the tagline "Ideas Matter" to reflect its commitment to in-depth print journalism and poetry, for which it received a 2010 Utne Independent Press Award and was nominated for a National Magazine Award for public-interest reporting. And it is continuing its book publishing imprint with MIT Press of short books on public policy, including one by Eliot Spitzer.

Martingale Publishes Marie Osmond

Heartfelt Giving: Sew and Quilt for Family and Friends by Marie Osmond, actress, singer, and member of the famous showbiz family, comes out November 8. It is the latest in a long line of craft and hobby books from Bothell, Wash., publisher Martingale & Company.

News Briefs: Week of 10/18/10

News Briefs: Week of 10/11/10

A Memoir's Second Life

Nine years ago, Joseph O'Neill, a half-Irish, half-Turkish British barrister, with two novels to his credit, abandoned his legal career and watched his third book, a family memoir, disappear into a vacuum. Or, in O'Neill's words, "get erased by 9/11."

PM Hits 100

Despite a rather inauspicious start—right at the beginning of the Great Recession in late 2007—less than three years later PM Press, in Oakland, Calif., has published more than 110 items, including 80 books, and pamphlets, CDs, DVDs, digital downloads, and other merchandise.

Counterpoint to Close New York Office

Berkeley-based Counterpoint Press issued a statement late Wednesday saying it will close its New York office at the end of October. That office was home to Counterpoint's Soft Skull imprint as well as editorial director Denise Oswald and associate editor Anne Horowitz. Soft Skull will continue as an imprint from Counterpoint's Berkeley office.

Cursor Launches First Imprint, Announces Debut List At Frankfurt

Cursor, the publishing venture founded by former Soft Skull publisher Richard Nash, has officially launched its first imprint, called Red Lemonade, and revealed the three titles that will compose its first list.

News Briefs: Week of 10/4/10

Tachyon Press Celebrates 15 Years

Jacob Weisman, founder of Tachyon Publications, turned his lifelong science fiction hobby into a dedicated career when he started the press in San Francisco in 1995 and thoughtfully nurtured it into what has become one of the most important independent presses in the industry.

Alyson Books Will Restructure as E-book Only House; Weise Leaves

Unable to arrange the sale of Alyson Books, parent company Here Media has announced that it is dropping Alyson's print book program and plans to restructure as an e-book only publisher. The country's oldest gay and lesbian house has been in financial trouble for months and publisher Don Weise had been trying to put a group together to acquire the publisher. With the restructuring, however, Weise will leave the company.

Tundra Books Moves Foreign Rights to Cooke Agency

Tundra Books of Toronto has announced that its foreign rights sales and permissions will now be contracted out to The Cooke Agency International (TCAI). "The move is a natural one for Tundra and offers a resolution to the difficult challenge presented by the resignation of long-term foreign rights director Catherine Mitchell, earlier this year," said Tundra managing director Alison Morgan.

Major Cuts at Key Porter Books

The Canadian publishing scene was shaken yesterday by news that Toronto-based Key Porter Books' operations are being dramatically cut back with 11 people losing their jobs. Harold Fenn, chairman of Key Porter Books, acknowledged that the imprint has been struggling, forcing the closing of the Toronto office with remaining employees moving to the Fenn headquarters in Bolton, Ont.

St. Martin's Issues Statement on Revised 'Operation Dark Heart'

St. Martin's has issued a statement regarding the revised edition of Operation Dark Heart: Spycraft and Special Ops on the Frontlines of Afghanistan--and the Path to Victory by Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, which it published on September 24, after the U.S. government bought the 9,500-copy first printing for $47,500, and St. Martin's destroyed and recycled those copies at the government's request.

Zondervan Signs with IPS for ABA Market

Zondervan has reached a distribution services agreement with Ingram Publisher Services, Inc. to expand the reach of Zondervan's entire product line into the ABA market. The agreement will serve to complement the efforts of Zondervan's current sales and distribution team, and there will be no staff changes as a result.

Texas Appeals Court Hears Landmark Defamation Case

A Texas Appeals Court yesterday heard a key defamation case that will decide whether books will get the same First Amendment protections as other media, such as newspapers, in the state of Texas. The case revolves around the book Bulldozed: "Kelo," Eminent Domain, and the American Lust for Land by Carla Main (Encounter Books) and a defamation lawsuit filed by Dallas developer H. Walker Royall, who claims the book defames him and is seeking to ban any further printing or distribution of the book.

Harras Named Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics

Robert Harras, formerly group editor, collected editions at DC Comics, has been named editor-in-chief, v-p, DC Comics, overseeing editorial for the DC Universe, Mad magazine and Vertigo. He will report directly to DC Comics co-publishers Jim Lee and Dan Didio and he will be based in New York City.

News Briefs: Week of 9/27/10

Not Your Father's Ingram

Ingram has long been thought of as the book industry's quintessential middleman, distributing publishers' books and other products to thousands of accounts. But over the past five to 10 years, the company has invested tens of millions of dollars to become what Skip Prichard, president and CEO of the Ingram Content Group, called the "centerspoke" of an industry in transition.