BTW News Briefs

Andrew Solomon Elected President of PEN American Center Board

New York Times bestselling author Andrew Solomon has been elected president of the PEN American Center’s Board of Trustees, according to a March 5 announcement from the literary and human rights organization.

Solomon, a writer and lecturer on politics, culture, and psychology and a professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University, is the author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression (Scribner) and Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity (Scribner), which won the National Book Critics Circle award for nonfiction in 2012.

“This is an urgent time for issues of free expression, and a critical time for PEN,” said Solomon.“In the wake of Charlie Hebdo, revelations about surveillance in the United States, international assaults on open dialogue for gay people, and restrictions on press and Internet in many countries worldwide, our mission could not be more clear: free speech is under siege and its defenders cannot rest…I am proud to step in as president of this increasingly crucial organization as it strives to construct a nobler, more just world.”

Solomon succeeds outgoing PEN President Peter Godwin.

Also at the PEN annual general members’ meeting, the PEN/American Center Board of Trustees voted in its 2015 slate, re-electing two board officers for a second term: John Troubh of Troubh Partners LLC as executive vice president and treasurer and author Annette Tapert as vice president. 

Delegation From China to Attend BookExpo America

As many as 500 top Chinese publishing professionals, acclaimed authors, and senior government officials will attend BookExpo America (BEA) from May 27 – 29 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City, according to a March 9 announcement from conference organizers.

BEA stated that the gesture represents both sides’ attempt to deepen cultural and business ties between the Chinese and American publishing markets.

“This is the most significant foreign delegation that we have ever hosted at America’s largest publishing convention,” said BEA Show Director Steven Rosato.

Several of the largest Chinese publishing corporations, including Phoenix Publishing and Media Company, China Publishing Group, and China Education and Media Group, are scheduled to participate. Forums and workshops will address the expanding international ambitions of the Chinese publishing and media industry; a comparison of digital publishing developments in both countries; recent trends in literary translation; and educational publishing and reading promotion.

PEN/Faulkner Award Finalists Announced

Judges have announced this year’s finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.

The five finalists, whose work was chosen from 360 novels and story collections by American authors published in 2014, are Song of the Shank by Jeffery Renard Allen (Graywolf); Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement (Hogarth); Preparation for the Next Life by Atticus Lish (Tyrant); Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (Knopf); and Department of Speculation by Jenny Offill (Vintage).

The winner, to be announced April 7, will receive $15,000, while the runners-up will receive $5,000. All five finalists will speak at the 35th annual award ceremony at the Folger Library in Washington, D.C., on May 2.

Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist Revealed

The judges have announced the longlist for the 2015 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, which is awarded annually for excellence, originality, and accessibility in women’s writing from throughout the world. Twenty titles, including five debuts, were selected; see the full list here.

“The Prize’s 20th year is a particularly strong one for women’s fiction,” Chair of Judges Shami Chakrabarti said. “All judges fought hard for their favorites and the result is a 2015 list of 20 to be proud of — with its mix of genres and styles, first-timers and well-known names from around the world. “

The shortlist will be announced mid-April, with the winner to be named June 3.

HarperCollins Launches Spanish-Language Imprints With Harper Lee Novels  

HarperCollins Publishers has acquired world Spanish rights to bestselling author Harper Lee’s highly anticipated new novel, Go Set a Watchman (Ve y pon un centinela), in all formats. The publisher announced on March 9 that, beginning with Ve y pon un centinela, it will be expanding its Spanish-language publishing efforts with the creation of two new imprints: HarperCollins Español and HarperCollins Iberica.

HarperCollins, which has already acquired the North American English publishing rights to Go Set a Watchman, will publish the book in the U.S. on July 14 in both languages; Spanish-language editions in other markets will follow later in the month. The company has also been granted the print and audio Spanish publishing rights for Lee’s classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird (Matar a un ruiseñor).

In the Americas, Spanish versions of both Go Set a Watchman and To Kill a Mockingbird will be published under the imprint HarperCollins Español, while HarperCollins Iberica will publish an edition in Spain in order to reach the widest possible audience.

HarperCollins Español, headed by Larry Downs, senior vice president and publisher, will publish Spanish-language titles in the Americas and have a list of approximately 50 books a year. HarperCollins Iberica, led by Luis Pugni, managing director, will publish a list of approximately 30 titles for Spain and Portugal.

NACS CEO Brian E. Cartier to Retire

Brian E. Cartier, CEO of the National Association of College Stores, will retire from his post on June 30, 2016.

“Brian leaves us with an exceptional and dedicated staff that is fully engaged with our members and is, on each day, strategizing and working to advance the needs of our stores and business partners and the students and campuses we serve,” NACS Board President Anthony Martin said.

Cartier came to NACS in August 1998, having previously worked in not-for-profit management. As CEO, Cartier oversees day-to-day operations, finances, and management of the 225-person NACS staff and its four subsidiaries. 

Going forward, the Oberlin-based organization will hire an executive search firm to find a new CEO. Martin said the board will seek input from its membership and staff during this process.

Consortium to Distribute Third Man Books

Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, a member of the Perseus Books Group, has reached a deal to distribute Third Man Books in the United States and Canada, effective March 1, 2015.

The independent publisher, which was established in 2014, is the publishing arm of the music label Third Man Records, founded by musician Jack White in 2001 in Nashville, Tennessee. It prints contemporary poetry, literary fiction, photography, and biography, all of which include audio/video components.

“Third Man Books will continue in the manufacture and sale of beautiful things. Those things being books,” Third Man Books co-founders Chet Weise and Ben Swank said.