Author: Editors

Stephen King has his third best seller of the year with Revival, a dark tale about the relationship between two men, one a preacher turned carny huckster, the other a boy who grows up to be a drug addict. Revival lands at No. 2 on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul is No. 1 for a second straight week.

via King’s ‘Revival’ lands at No. 2; Bush’s ’41’ is No. 3.

Fifth in the American novelist’s oeuvre will be September 2015 Jonathan Franzen release “Purity,” a multigenerational epic about a woman on the trail of her mysterious father.Both HarperCollins and Macmillan arms are already preparing Franzen’s readership for a “stylistic departure” (per its US publisher in The New York Times) as they follow Purity Tyler on a search for her long-lost father.

via Franzen’s next novel ‘Purity’ announced for 2015 – Yahoo News.

Perseus Books Group ceo David Steinberger registers the first year-end letter to employees, as the company refocuses after the collapsed deal to sell itself to Hachette Book Group and Ingram. He writes: “In the wake of an eventful summer, we at Perseus now have both the opportunity and the privilege to continue our mission and to focus on what we do best: supporting vital independent publishers that publish great books, whether they are in- house imprints, joint venture partners, or the publisher clients we serve.” The letter highlights the company’s successes in 2014, division by division. “So our next fiscal year begins with both continuity and change, and with a renewed commitment to independent publishing that has long been the hallmark of our 675 people in Berkeley, Boulder, Boston, Chicago, Jackson, London, Minneapolis, New York, and Philadelphia. I’m proud of what we have accomplished, I relish our tenacity, and I know I speak for many of us when I say I am excited that we are continuing the exceptional story we have been writing here at the Perseus Books Group.”

In a holiday announcement, Barnes & Noble is putting on sale 500,000 signed books from more than 100 top authors on Black Friday, “while supplies last,” hoping to draw store traffic. The bookseller says it has been working with authors and publishers for more than 7 months on the initiative. “We found that the authors were just as keen as we were to deliver on this idea because they saw how meaningful it would be to their fans and readers to have these as gifts to be remembered long after the holidays are over,” vp, adult trade & children’s books Mary Amicucci says.

Matthew McConaughey is tipped to take the role of villainous Randall Flagg in The Stand, a Hollywood franchise based on the 1978 Stephen King novel. Backed by Warner Bros, The Stand will be released as four standalone pictures directed by Josh Boone. Discussing the project on Kevin Smith’s podcast, Boone described The Stand as “the Godfather of post-apocalyptic thrillers.”

via Matthew McConaughey to take The Stand for Stephen King adaptation | Film | The Guardian.

You knew it was coming. Check out the steamy movie tie-in edition of Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James in time for the film in early 2015. Very few book lovers admit to preferring a movie tie-in edition over the original, but this one might be an exception for die-hard Fifty Shades fans given the Jamie Dornan eye candy. Against-the-wall makeout sessions are SO much hotter than closeups of monochrome silk ties.

via See the movie tie-in cover for ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ | Shelf Life | EW.com.

Peter Straughan, the screenwriter who adapted John Le Carré’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy into a successful movie, is to take on another melancholy tale of international intrigue: The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt’s bestselling and Pulitzer-winning novel.

via Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy screenwriter to adapt The Goldfinch | Film | The Guardian.

Alice Lee, the sister of the famous “To Kill a Mockingbird” author and an influential Alabama lawyer and church leader in her own right, died Monday at age 103.

Lee practiced law until a few years ago, following the footsteps of her father — the model for small-town lawyer Atticus Finch, the driving character in “Mockingbird.” For a time, Lee was Alabama’s oldest practicing lawyer.

via Alice Lee, Sister of ‘Mockingbird’ Author, Dies – ABC News.

Rupert Murdoch’s iron grip on his publishing empire is slipping after a massive revolt against the family’s minority control of News Corp and may have lost the support of a key backer.

via Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp cops major investor revolt.

Hachette Book Group continues to add to its growing nonfiction list, following the summer’s failed effort to acquire the Perseus Book Group. The company announced it has agreed to purchase illustrated book publisher Black Dog & Leventhal.

via Hachette Book Group Agrees to Acquire Black Dog & Leventhal – Publishers Lunch.