M2 Best Books articles from March 2006

M2 Best Books archives from March 2006

Increase in full-year profit announced by Pearson.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A rise of 23% in full-year profit has been reported by publishing group Pearson Plc, the owner of Penguin Books and the Financial Times. The company reported a pre-tax profit for the year...

International board created by Hachette Livre.
March 1, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD An international board is to be created by Hachette Livre, the new owner of Time Warner Books, in order to oversee the company's development. According to Publishers Weekly the new board...

Shortlist for Le Prince Maurice award announced.(Louise Dean, Joanna Briscoe and Ben Markovits are being nominated)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The shortlist for the Le Prince Maurice award has been announced and it is comprised of Louise Dean, Joanna Briscoe and Ben Markovits. Dean has been nominated for her debut novel Becoming...

New chief executive announced at Borders UK.(David Roche appointed)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Book retailer Borders (UK) Ltd, the UK division of Borders Group Inc, has appointed David Roche as the company's new chief executive, effective 1 March 2006. In addition Philip Downer...

Sales of Holy Blood book on the increase.( The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Sales of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, a non-fiction book published in 1982, are on the increase. Internet retailer Amazon has revealed that its sales of the book have increased by...

RNIB's Right to Read Campaign supported by Jacqueline Wilson.(Royal National Institute for the Blind )(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A campaign being led by the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) in an attempt to increase the availability of books in Braille, audio and large print is being support by children's...

New bookseller website launched by HarperCollins.(HarperCollins Publishers Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publisher HarperCollins has announced the launch of a new website, HarpercollinsAdvantage.com, which aims to make the online ordering of its books even easier for booksellers. According...

Diamond Dagger awarded to Elmore Leonard.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2006 has been awarded to US author Elmore Leonard by the Crime Writers' Association. The author will be travelling to London for the presentation of the...

New vice president and publisher appointed at CDS Books.( Roger Cooper)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD CDS Books, an imprint of publisher The Perseus Books Group, is to be headed by Roger Cooper, who has been recruited for the newly created position of vice president and publisher. The...

Authors protest against arms trade involvement of London Book Fair organisers.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD In a letter signed by writers including Ian McEwan and Nick Hornby, published in The Times Literary Supplement, a range of authors have protested against the current involvement in the arms...

Alastair Campbell holds off on publication of memoirs.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The former director of communications and strategy for 10 Downing Street, Alastair Campbell, has revealed that he is to delay the publication of his memoirs until Gordon Brown has left...

Harlequin reports 2005 results.(operating profit declines)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Harlequin, a Toronto-based publisher of romance novels, has revealed that its sales for 2005 were CAD525.9m, a decrease from the CAD538.4m reported in 2004. The publisher reported that...

Shortlist for the 2006 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize announced.(Arts Council England to announce the awards)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The shortlist for the 2006 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, a book prize supported by Arts Council England, has been announced with a total of six authors making the final list. The...

Unknown Irish writer in GBP1m deal with HarperCollins.(HarperCollins Publishers Inc. signs Derek Landy)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A GBP1m advance is reportedly being paid to Derek Landy, an unknown Irish author, by HarperCollins for a trilogy of children's books. According to The Sunday Times, Landy's first book...

Longlist for Orange Prize for Fiction announced.(20 authors shortlisted)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The longlist for this year's Orange Prize for Fiction has been announced at the London Book Fair. The longlist, which is made up of 20 authors, includes Helen Dunmore who has been...

Margaret Atwood uses remote-controlled pen for virtual book signings.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Canadian author Margaret Atwood has made use of a remote-controlled pen she invented to enable her to participate in book signings from a distance. The author has used the LongPen to...

Andrews McMeel to enter UK and Irish markets in deal with Simon & Schuster.(Andrews McMeel Publishing)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Andrews McMeel Publishing LLC is to expand its distribution capabilities by entering the United Kingdom and Irish markets under a new agreement with Simon & Schuster. According to a...

Antitrust approval granted for Lagardere's acquisition of Time Warner Book Group.
March 8, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The proposed acquisition of Time Warner's book publishing business by Lagardere, a media group based in France, has been approved by antitrust authorities in the United States. According...

Football stars reveal their favourite reads.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The National Football Museum in Preston, UK has asked some of English football's biggest stars to choose their favourite book titles. According to the BBC, Manchester United's Sir Alex...

Greenspan memoirs secured by Penguin.(Penguin Books Inc. secures right of Alan Greenspan)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD An upfront payment of an estimated USD8.5m has reportedly been paid by Penguin to the former chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, for his memoirs. Greenspan retired from...

More UK stores to be opened by Borders.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Book retailer Borders has announced that a new flagship store in Cardiff, Wales is to open later this year. The new store will be located at the 26,000 sq ft former David Morgan...

Rise in books sales reported by AAP.(Association of American Publishers)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Figures reported by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) have revealed that total book sales in the US in 2005 were worth USD25.1bn, an increase of 9.9% on the 2004 figure. The...

Caroline Ridding moves to HarperCollins.(HarperCollins Publishers Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Tesco's book buyer, Caroline Ridding, is to leave the supermarket chain to take on the newly created role of director of special publishing projects at HarperCollins, effective 1 May. ...

New range of bookstores to be opened by WH Smith.(WH Smith Group PLC)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A new range of shops called WH Smith BOOKS, in which books will occupy a minimum of 70% of the space, are to be opened by UK high street retailer WH Smith in 120 new locations. According...

Increased bid from Permira received by HMV.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Private equity firm Permira has made a revised offer of GBP2.10 per share for the HMV retail group. The HMV Group currently owns the chain of HMV music stores and the Waterstone's bookshops....

US Bishops launch website denying The Da Vinci Code claims.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A website has been launched in the US by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, disputing the main points of 'The Da Vinci Code' novel by Dan Brown. Brown's novel focuses on the theory...

Judges for 2006 Man Booker Prize announced.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The judging panel for this year's Man Booker Prize for Fiction has been announced. The panel will be chaired by reviewer, academic and biographer Hermione Lee and will also include poet...

Ottakar's Edinburgh store to close.
March 13, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The flagship store of bookseller Ottakar's based in Edinburgh, Scotland is to close down to make way for a fashion retail development. The store, which is located in George Street, is...

Second Permira offer rejected by HMV.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD An increased bid offer of GBP847m or GBP2.10 per share from private equity group Permira has been rejected by the HMV Group. The HMV Group owns the chain of HMV music stores and the...

Dan Brown denies plagiarism claim.(Brief Article)
March 14, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The author of The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown, has told the High Court in London, UK that allegations that he stole the ideas for his novel are "completely fanciful". Legal action has been...

Wayne Rooney signs book deal with HarperCollins.(HarperCollins Publishers Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD England and Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney is reportedly to receive an advance of GBP5m from publisher HarperCollins for the production of a five-volume autobiography. The...

Free Press signs book deal with Joel Osteen.(Free Press Company Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Free Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, has announced that it has signed a deal with pastor Joel Osteen for his next book. According to Publishers Weekly the deal, which was put...

New Zealand distribution centre to be shut down by Penguin Books.(Brief Article)
March 15, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The New Zealand distribution centre of Penguin Books is to be shut down by the publisher. According to Radio New Zealand, the company announced that its warehouse in Albany, north of...

Auditions to be held in April for Phillip Pullman film.(Brief Article)
March 15, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Auditions for the lead role of Lyra Belacqua in the new Philip Pullman film The Golden Compass are reportedly scheduled to take place during the first two weeks of April in the English towns...

2006 Commonwealth Writers' Prize won by Kate Grenville.
March 15, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The 2006 Commonwealth Writers' Prize has been won by Australian author Kate Grenville for her novel The Secret River. According to The Associated Press, Grenville's novel tells the story...

TV drama award for Bleak House.(British Broadcasting Corp. gets Royal Television Society Awards)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The BBC's adaptation of Bleak House by Charles Dickens, which starred Gillian Anderson and comedian Johnny Vegas, was named as the winner of best drama serial at the UK's Royal Television...

Longlist for Aventis general prize announced.(Jared Diamond's book "Collapse - How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive" nominated)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The longlist for the Aventis general prize for science books has been announced and it includes a previous two-time winner of the award, Jared Diamond. Diamond has been nominated for his...

Online access to books may be sold by Google - report.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Internet company Google Inc has announced that it wants to sell online access to books by partnering with publishers in both the United States and United Kingdom. According to Reuters,...

Q4 2005 and fiscal 2005 results reported by Barnes & Noble.(Brief article)
March 17, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc (NYSE:BKS) on Thursday (16 March) reported sales and earnings for the fourth quarter and the full year ended 28 January 2006. Sales for the fourth quarter...

Houghton Mifflin reports USD62m net loss for 2005.
March 20, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publisher Houghton Mifflin achieved USD1.28bn in total sales in 2005, representing a 5.2% increase, while its operating income increased from USD21.9m to USD59.3m. However the company...

Borders Group reports Q4 and full year results for 2005.
March 20, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Borders Group Inc (NYSE:BGP), a global retailer of books, music and movies, has reported final fourth quarter and full-year 2005 results for the period ended 28 January 2006. The company...

Stadther's book to result in GBP1m treasure hunt.(Brief article)
March 20, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Secrets of the Alchemist Dar by author Michael Stadther is a puzzle book due for international release in September 2006, incorporating riddles which lead to 100 gems worth a total of GBP1m,...

Waterstone's to cut jobs.
March 21, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A number of jobs may be cut throughout Waterstone's, including the possible loss of all managers at the UK book chain's 28 campus-based stores. According to Publishing News, only five...

Da Vinci Code ruling to be given before 13 April.(Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh sue Dan Brown)(Brief article)
March 21, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The High Court in London, UK has seen the end of legal action brought by authors of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, a non-fiction book published in 1982, against The Da Vinci Code author...

Alan Smagler named as vice president, Trade Sales at Scholastic.(Brief article)
March 21, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Children's publishing, education and media company Scholastic Corporation (Nasdaq: SCHL) announced on Monday (20 March) that it has appointed Alan Smagler as vice president, Trade Sales,...

Bertelsmann announces results for fiscal year 2005.(Brief article)
March 22, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Media company Bertelsmann AG, the parent company of publisher Random House, has reported increases in its revenues and operating profit for 2005. Consolidated revenues grew from...

Authors help Love Libraries scheme.(public libraries to be transformed with the help of Nick Hornby, Tony Parsons, Terence Blacker and Philip Pullman)
March 23, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A new project in the UK, dubbed the Love Libraries scheme, has enlisted the help of a range of authors in an attempt to transform public libraries. Authors endorsing the initiative...

Booker Prize deal renewed by Man Group - report.(Brief article)
March 23, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Hedge fund company Man Group was expected to reveal today (23 March) that as part of a GBP5m deal it is to extend its sponsorship of the Booker Prize for Fiction for a further five years. ...

Weldon Owen acquired by Bonnier.
March 23, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD US-based publishing company Weldon Owen has been acquired by book publisher Bonnier Publishing. Weldon Owen packages illustrated books from brands that include Williams-Sonoma, Pottery...

Controversy over promotion of new Doctor Who book.(Paul Parsons breached company's guidelines)(Brief article)
March 24, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Paul Parsons, a magazine editor with the BBC, may have breached the company's guidelines after he allegedly promoted his own book, The Science of Doctor Who, in the April edition of the BBC...

Scholastic lowers its forecast for fiscal year.
March 24, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publisher and distributor of children's books Scholastic has lowered its forecast for the fiscal year. The company reported a net loss for the third quarter, ended 28 February, of...

Atheneum Books for Young Readers to publish Oliva's Christmas.(Ian Falconer)(Brief article)
March 24, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The next Olivia book from Ian Falconer is to be published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers. Falconer's next book, entitled Olivia's Christmas, is scheduled to be published in October...

Longlist for Samuel Johnson prize announced.(Brief article)
March 27, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The longlist for the GBP30,000 Samuel Johnson Prize has been announced and it includes the blog of an anonymous university graduate in Iraq. The blog, entitled Baghdad Burning and...

Possible Ottakar's bid may be made by WH Smith - report.(WH Smith Group PLC)(Brief article)
March 27, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD UK high street retailer WH Smith is rumoured to be thinking of placing a bid for the bookseller Ottakar's. WH Smith is currently running a trial of four new WH Smith Books stores in...

Blackwell's considers sale - report.(Blackwell's Book Services)(Brief article)
March 27, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The publishing arm of book retailer Blackwell's may be sold for up to GBP300m. According to the Mail on Sunday the company has appointed investment bank JP Morgan as adviser. The...

Bleak House receives Bafta nominations.(television program of British Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief article)
March 28, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD An adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House by the BBC has been nominated in three categories for the 2006 Bafta TV awards. According to the BBC, the adaptation of Dickens' novel has...

Musical adaptation of Lord of the Rings opens in Toronto.(Brief article)
March 28, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A musical adaptation of JRR Tolkien's three-volume novel The Lord of the Rings has opened at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Canada. The musical is over three hours in length...

Cindy Spiegel & Julie Grau name their new publishing division.(Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group Inc. appoints Gretchen Koss )(Brief article)
March 28, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Spiegel & Grau is to be the new name for Doubleday's new publishing division being established by Cindy Spiegel and Julie Grau. Gretchen Koss has been appointed as director of publicity...

New Borders store to open in west Dublin.(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Borders Ireland Limited, a subsidiary of book retailer Borders Group Inc (NYSE: BGP), has revealed that it is to open the first of a number of store locations in the Republic of Ireland. ...

Author of Solaris dies.(Stanislaw Lem passes away)(Obituary)(Brief article)
March 29, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The author of the 1961 science fiction novel Solaris, Polish writer Stanislaw Lem, has died of heart disease at the age of 84. Solaris was made into a film in 1971, when it was directed...

Full-year loss reported by Ottakar's.
March 29, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD An annual loss has been announced by UK bookseller Ottakar's. According to Sharecast, the company's turnover increased to GBP176.5m for the 52 weeks ended 28 January 2006 from GBP173.2m...

Hans Christian Andersen Award won by Margaret Mahy.(International Board on Books for Young People)(Brief article)
March 30, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The Hans Christian Andersen Award, a prize for children's writing, has been won by New Zealand author Margaret Mahy. According to the Xinhua news service, the award is given biennially...

Ottakar's to go online.
March 30, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Bookseller Ottakar's is to launch a new website which will be up and running by November. According to the company's chief executive, James Heneage, Ottakar's is currently holding talks...

Ottakar's deal approved by Competition Commission.(HMV Group acquires)(Brief article)
March 30, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The takeover of bookseller Ottakar's by the HMV Group has been cleared by the Competition Commission. The HMV Group currently owns the chain of HMV music stores and the Waterstone's...

Harry Potter takes Book of the Year award.(Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince of JK Rowling awarded)(Brief article)
March 31, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The British Book Awards, hosted by television couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, has named JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as Book of the Year after the author won...

Online division of S&S to be headed by Kate Tentler.(Simon & Schuster Inc.'s online division renamed S&S Digital Media)(Brief article)
March 31, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The online division of publisher Simon & Schuster has been renamed S&S Digital Media. According to Publishers Weekly, Kate Tentler, who has been with the company since the online unit...

Walden Media and Penguin enter into publishing agreement.(Penguin Publishing Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
March 31, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Walden Media has entered into an agreement with Penguin Young Readers to enter the book publishing market. The company was responsible for co-producing the film version of The Chronicles...