THIS WEEK in publishing:
Of course, of course. I should have known that my post about how great it is to live in San Francisco would spawn an earthquake. But it was very small (4.2) and no literary agents were harmed.
In actual publishing news, Random UK has been split asunder! Actually they’ve just reorganized themselves into two separate divisions. On one side you have CHA (aka “the Jets”), comprised of Century, Hutchinson, William Heinemann, Arrow, Random House Audio and Random House Books. And on the other you have CCV (aka “the Sharks”), comprised of Jonathan Cape, Chatto & Windus, Harvill Secker, Yellow Jersey Press, Vintage and Pimlico. The two new companies plan to snap their fingers as they walk down the street, engage in balletic knife battles, and fight for the hand of Maria.
Did you read CONFESSIONS OF A VIDEO VIXEN and IT’S NO SECRET: FROM NAS TO JAY-Z, FROM SEDUCTION TO SCANDAL — A HIP-HOP HELEN OF TROY TELLS ALL and think to yourself, “Wow, I sure wish there were more books like this!” Well, you’re in luck. The latest in the burgeoning genre of celebrity tell-all books (and I mean tell-all) was released this week: SECRETS OF A HOLLYWOOD SUPER MADAM by Jody “Babydol” (sic) Gibson. The LA Times is, of course, all over this story, and has the scoop here.
Man, people sure love them some secrets. Simon & Schuster just announced that they have gone back to press for a ridonkulous, pretty much unprecedented two million copy reprint for THE SECRET. Two million. To put that in perspective, that’s a two… with six zeroes after it. The ridonkulous, pretty much unprecedented reprinting brings THE SECRET up to 3.75 million copies in print. I guess author Rhonda Byrne used the secret 4,000 years in the making and thought really hard about selling a bazillion copies, which so far is working.
And finally, a big happy birthday to THE CAT IN THE HAT, who turned 50 this week. If The Cat is anything like my parents, he will now commence complaining that he is too young to be receiving mailings from the AARP.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Anonymous says
Nathan,
I love your blog on a house, I love your blog with a mouse, I will read it in a box, i will read it with a fox…
Now here is a game that I like to play and it is called Book one and Book two, I know you won’t mind if they come to play, I won’t mind at all if they do ^_^
Nathan Bransford says
anon-
Wow, that was awesome.
sex scenes at starbucks says
Obviously, “Anonymous” is a pen name…
Bryan D. Catherman says
After seeing the sales and hype of The Secret, I’m rethinking my writing.
Forget journalism, toss out thoughtful writing backed by research. I’m going to repackage garbage, shroud it in mystery, and sell millions of copies. I’ll call it, Classified , or Encoded, or Clandestine.
With the right cover it should sell.
Demon Hunter says
So tired of the Video Vixens. I have a better name for them but I don’t think I’m allowed to post it here, Nathan. LOL. I don’t even care who they slept with; sheesh, they don’t even care who they slept with! It’s all so sick, IMO.
Courtney says
Good Lord, I just laughed out loud at WORK of all places at your blog…If the cat and the hat is anything like my parents…hilarious!
Anonymous says
Secret indeed…
I have known the secret for decades. It is old and called many things. I am glad that they are being succesful with their sales, though, because if even 10% of the people who buy it use it…the world will be a much more positive place.
Jennifer McK says
Darn it!!!! I was going to put in a clever “Seuss” verse, but anonymous beat me to it.
4.2? That’s just a little roll isn’t it? Just enough to mix the whiskey and coke together.
McKoala says
Vindicated. Any earthquake is a bad earthquake.
Anonymous says
Is that true? I thought the little minor ones helped release the tension? The two plates are always moving against one another and it’s only a major one if the plates get snagged together for too long. I even read where they are considering pumping some kind of lubricant down into the crack so that there would only be minor ones. This was just an idea.
But global warming and a rise in the sea level could change the pressure against the earth’s surface and cause more shifting than normal.
I trust Nathan can mix his own rum and coke.
John
Jennifer McK says
He probably can, John, but isn’t it nice to think that Mother Nature takes a particular interest in mixing his drinks? LOL.
Anonymous says
That is too funny Jennifer!
Which reminds me: I was thinking of sending in my Q during happy hour, so that he might be a little tipsy and in a really good mood when he reads it.
It was the only time I got a request for a full, on a weekend,late at night, I think we were both drunk, then by Monday, the agent had enough time to sober up and demanded a full rewrite!
john