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☆ Colson Whitehead Cancels His Commencement Speech at UMass Amherst
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Elizabeth A. Harris | More About Elizabeth A. Harris | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead said Thursday that he would not give the commencement address at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on May 18 as planned, citing the administration’s decision to call the police on campus protesters. “I was looking forward to speaking next week at UMass Amherst,” Mr. Whitehead wrote on the social network Bluesky. I have to withdraw as your commencement speaker. The school said that the ceremony would proceed without a commencement speaker. “We respect Mr. Whitehead’s position and regret that he will not be addressing the Class of 2024,” Ed Blaguszewski, a spokesman for the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said in a statement.

Persons: Colson Whitehead, “, ” Mr, Whitehead, ” Michael Goldsmith, Ed Blaguszewski Organizations: University of Massachusetts Amherst, UMass Amherst

The National Book Award ceremony took a political turn on Wednesday night, as the event concluded with a joint statement from a group of writers who called for a cease-fire in Gaza. For the final award of the night, Justin Torres received the fiction prize for “Blackouts,” his widely acclaimed, genre-defying novel about erasure and queer history. As Torres gave his speech, more than a dozen other nominees from different categories joined him on the stage. They stood behind Aaliyah Bilal, a finalist in the fiction category for her short story collection “Temple Folk,” as she read the statement. “On behalf of the finalists, we oppose the ongoing bombardment of Gaza and call for a humanitarian cease-fire to address the urgent humanitarian needs of Palestinian civilians, particularly children,” Bilal said.

Persons: Justin Torres, Torres, Aaliyah Bilal, ” Bilal, “, LeVar Burton, ” Burton Locations: Gaza

☆ Read With Jenna, Who Writes With Barbara
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Elizabeth A. Harris | More About Elizabeth A. Harris | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Where did the idea for this book come from? BUSH: We have written three books before, and they’ve all centered around sisterhood, because we’re twins and don’t know life any other way. HAGER: On our book tours, we hear what people have to say, and it informs what is missing from what we’ve previously written. BUSH: We go on long walks so we can talk, flesh out the idea, come up with the narrative arc. HAGER: By the time we put it on paper, it’s not as long of a process.

Persons: ’, ? HAGER, BUSH, HAGER, I’m, ’ HAGER, ‘

The Authors Guild lawsuit is the latest in a series brought by writers against OpenAI. “It knew everything, and that’s when I got a bad feeling.”A representative for OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Since OpenAI introduced ChatGPT in November, authors, publishers and retailers have been trying to rein in the rampant and increasingly disruptive incursion of A.I. Amazon has taken steps to monitor and curb the influx of A.I.-generated books. to its customers, but it may do so in the future, according to an Amazon representative.

Persons: David Baldacci, Jodi Picoult, George R.R, Martin, George Saunders, Michael Connelly, Douglas Preston, ChatGPT, “, ‘, ”, OpenAI Organizations: OpenAI, York Mycological Society Locations: A.I

☆ How Lauren Groff, One of ‘Our Finest Living Writers,’ Does Her Work
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Elizabeth A. Harris | More About Elizabeth A. Harris | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“She’s got a lot of restless energy, she’s got a lot of motivation,” he said. “For her, writing has been a great outlet, and so have athletic pursuits.”Groff and her family remain close. She’d relocate, she said, only if she could travel as needed — for writers’ retreats, for book tours — and if Kallman agreed to reassess periodically. Groff and Kallman wake up together, they said, but the morning is not a time to chat. “I get so mad at him if he tries to talk to me,” Groff joked about her husband.

Persons: “ She’s, she’s, ”, “, ” Groff, Kallman, ’, Groff, She’d Organizations: University of Florida Locations: Gainesville, New Hampshire, Florida

☆ What Alex Jones, Woody Allen and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Share
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Elizabeth A. Harris | More About Elizabeth A. Harris | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Skyhorse Publishing is not a large company, but it has an outsize reputation for taking on authors that others avoid. Mr. Lyons is a chairman of a super PAC supporting Mr. Kennedy. Mr. Lyons casts his support for Mr. Kennedy as an extension of his mission as publisher: to defend against what he considers censorship. “Bobby Kennedy says this line now and then,” Mr. Lyons said. Skyhorse’s titles range from anodyne cooking and gardening books to works that court controversy or promote theories that have been debunked.

Persons: Alex Jones, Tony Lyons, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Lyons, Kennedy, Skyhorse, “ Bobby Kennedy, ” Mr Organizations: Skyhorse

Paramount said on Monday it had reached a deal to sell Simon & Schuster, one of the biggest and most prestigious publishing houses in the United States, to the private-equity firm KKR, in a major changing of the guard in the books business. The deal, for $1.62 billion, will put control of the cultural touchstone behind authors like Stephen King and Bob Woodward in the hands of a financial buyer with an expanding presence in the publishing industry. While private equity investors have had a significant footprint in the book business — different firms have owned literary agencies, publishing houses and the retailer Barnes & Noble — the acquisition of one of the largest publishers in the country vastly increases the hold of financial interests in the business. Richard Sarnoff, who leads KKR’s media, entertainment and technology group, is a familiar name to many in the publishing industry and his involvement is encouraging, said several publishing executives on Monday. Mr. Sarnoff has held multiple positions at Bertelsmann, the company that owns Penguin Random House, and served as chairman of the Association of American Publishers, a trade group.

Persons: Simon, Schuster, Stephen King, Bob Woodward, Noble, Richard Sarnoff, Sarnoff Organizations: Paramount, KKR, Barnes, Bertelsmann, Random, Association of American Publishers Locations: United States

Paramount is preparing to announce an agreement to sell Simon & Schuster, one of the country’s top publishers, to KKR, a private-equity firm, marking the end of a yearslong attempt to sell the publishing house. The deal, which values Simon & Schuster at roughly $1.62 billion, could be announced as soon as Monday, according to three people familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity on Sunday to discuss a confidential process. The deal has the potential to reshape book publishing, an industry in which Simon & Schuster is one of the most significant players in the country. Paramount (formerly ViacomCBS) put Simon & Schuster up for sale in 2020. About nine months later, it announced a deal to sell the company to Penguin Random House for $2.18 billion.

Persons: Simon, Schuster Organizations: Paramount, KKR, Penguin Random, & $

They eat lunch together around a communal table in the center of the room, and have become friends. “It’s that very simple model,” Salati said, whispering to avoid disturbing his studio mates. In an earlier version, Salati said, Hot Dog ran away, but Watkins questioned the plot twist. “What kind of dog does that?” Salati remembered him saying. That conversation helped Salati make the book more about the relationship between Hot Dog and his person, a lady with a floppy hat and big glasses, rather than just about the dachshund himself.

Persons: “, ” Salati, Watkins, Salati Locations: New York City

The sale of Simon & Schuster appears to be nearing a suspenseful conclusion, like the final chapter of a page-turner from one of the country’s largest and most prestigious publishing houses. Second-round bids for Simon & Schuster — which publishes boldface names like Stephen King — were due earlier this week, according to three people familiar with the negotiations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential sale process. The sale process is expected to conclude in the coming weeks, the people said. A sale would put an end to years of uncertainty for Simon & Schuster, which is owned by Paramount (formerly ViacomCBS) and was initially put up for sale in early 2020. How much suitors for Simon & Schuster were willing to pay couldn’t be determined.

Persons: Simon, Simon & Schuster, Stephen King —, couldn’t Organizations: Simon &, KKR, News Corp, HarperCollins, Paramount, Penguin Random, Department of Justice

Only three months into Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s first Supreme Court term, she announced a book deal negotiated by the same powerhouse lawyer who represented the Obamas and James Patterson. The deal was worth about $3 million, according to people familiar with the agreement, and made Justice Jackson the latest Supreme Court justice to parlay her fame into a big book contract. Justice Neil M. Gorsuch had made $650,000 for a book of essays and personal reflections on the role of judges, while Justice Amy Coney Barrett received a $2 million advance for her forthcoming book about keeping personal feelings out of judicial rulings. Those newer justices joined two of their more senior colleagues, Justices Clarence Thomas and Sonia Sotomayor, in securing payments that eclipse their government salaries. In recent months reports by ProPublica, The New York Times and others have highlighted a lack of transparency at the Supreme Court, as well as the absence of a binding ethics code for the justices.

Persons: Ketanji Brown Jackson’s, James Patterson, Jackson, Neil M, Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, ProPublica, Thomas’s, Justice Samuel A, Alito Jr, John G, Roberts Organizations: The New York Times, Supreme, Republican Locations: The

In the past two years, book bans have surged in the United States, driven by conservative activists who have targeted books about race and racism or L.G.B.T.Q. While the fight has largely centered on books that are available in school classrooms and libraries, the legislation in Texas has drawn booksellers directly into the conflict. “Some school libraries have books with sexually explicit and vulgar materials,” he said during the bill signing session. But the plaintiffs said that the Texas law would take decisions out of the hands of schools and parents and put the burden on vendors instead. The law’s opponents also argue the legislation will increase the number of book bans in Texas, which already leads the country in removing books from schools, according to an analysis by the free speech organization PEN America.

Persons: Greg Abbott, ”, “ Organizations: PEN America Locations: United States, Texas

Many were especially wary of Penguin Random House — already by far the largest publisher in the United States — getting even bigger by absorbing a rival. Penguin Random House has about 100 imprints; together they publish more than 2,000 titles a year. The merger would have given it Simon & Schuster’s approximately 50 imprints, as well as the company’s vast and valuable backlist of older titles. “The market is already too consolidated,” said Mary Rasenberger, chief executive of the Authors Guild, an advocacy group for writers that opposed the purchase. The company’s recent performance has been strong, even as the results have sagged at other major publishers.

Persons: Simon, Schuster —, United States —, Schuster’s, ”, Mary Rasenberger, Simon & Schuster Organizations: Random, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Hachette, Penguin, United States, Justice Department, Guild, Simon & Locations: United

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