Genre Fiction

Meghan McCain, the 24-year-old daughter of presidential one-time hopeful John McCain, has previously authored a children’s book titled My Dad, John McCain. But now she’s aiming for the big leagues - and big paychecks.

After a bidding bout between multiple publishing companies, Hyperion won the rights to Meghan’s next writing venture with their bid that is rumored to have a six-figured advance.

The book is set to be released in spring 2010 and, according to Hyperion, it will “explore what it means to be a progressive Republican in the party today,” and “delve into what it means to love the Republican Party, while not always fitting in.” Meghan’s new book will also “touch on topics ranging from what the party needs to do to attract others like her, to the importance of technology in reaching out to younger voters, to what needs to be done to keep young people passionate and involved in politics in the future.”

I spy with my reading eye a copycat book cover.

As seen on Totally Looks Like, a picture-based site in the I Can Has Cheezburger network that allows users to visually point out look-a-like celebrities, animals, products, and more, the recognizable apple-in-the-hands Twilight cover art is suspiciously similar to that of Words to Live By: A Guide for the Merely Christian by C. S. Lewis.

On the left is Lewis’s book, which was published in 2007. Stephenie Meyer’s book, on the right, was published in 2006. So who copied whom? With such close publication dates, it is very likely that neither saw the other until after the fact. But if it weren’t for Meyer’s coming out first, I’d blame Twilight for being a copy as the series’s creative doesn’t have the best track record for being original: designer Nina Ricci sued Twilight for duplicating her perfume bottle design.

Super size American publishing house HarperCollins has announced a new label, It Books, which will be an imprint of Harper, a publisher within a publisher. It Books will be marked with the logo shown here and will circle around all things pop culture: entertainment, music, fashion, design, and sports.

According to the press release, the first books bearing this name will arrive in September 2009, and will included books by burlesque artist Dita Von Teese, style guru Amanda Brooks, bestselling author Neil Strauss, and comedians Paul Provenza and Aaron Karo. We will also get Charlie Cross’s illustrated history of Led Zeppelin, the legendary Larry “Bozo” Harmon’s posthumous autobiography, and the first authorized Twitter book. Future projects already underway will come from actress Molly Ringwald, and bestselling recording artists Debbie Harry, Johnny Rotten, Toni Braxton, and the mythical band Spinal Tap.

“It Books will be a new way for us to reach readers like us–people with an endless appetite for pop culture, who live for music and film and art and fashion and the Internet,” said Senior VP and Publisher Carrie Kania.

Riddle me this: what do Dolly Parton and the Rotary International service club have in common?

Give up? The country singer and the “Service Above Self” volunteer organization both have a passion for promoting reading. The two have joined up to encourage literacy among children by providing children with books from birth to age 5 through the Rotary club’s Imagination Library program. The program sends participating kids one age appropriate book a month, starting with The Little Engine That Could, and ending with the final title Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come. The goal is to spark the children’s interest in learning and encourage the families to spend time together reading.

“In today’s world, literacy is a basic requirement for success in life,” says Rotary Foundation Trustee John Germ. “For decades, Rotary clubs have supported literacy programs for children and adults, and this collaborative relationship will help lift our literacy effort to the next level by promoting early childhood reading.”

“Rotarians love kids as much as I do, so I truly believe we can do something extraordinary together to help even more children love to read and succeed,” says Parton of her Tennessee-based Dollywood Foundation’s partnering with the club.

If you would like to support the two foundations in their efforts, consider joining a local Rotary club. Membership dues will help pay for the related expenses including purchasing the books and shipping them to children in need.

There are about 10,400 Rotary clubs in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, which are all included in the partnership. Addtionally, there are more than 33,000 clubs in 200 countries worldwide.

I have certainly cut back on my spending on books, only buying used ones or trading them online. It seems lots of people are cutting back on book shopping in this down turned economy: Borders is “consolidating.”

Six vice president and ten director positions were eliminated this week from corporate Borders. Most of the positions were based out of the company’s headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Those cut were newer hires, joining the Borders’ team in 2007. While those that will sticking around and doubling up on responsibility have been with the book store company for upwards of 15 years.

“As we address the immediate priority of getting our company’s financial house in order, one of our goals is to more aggressively reduce annual expenses,” said Borders Group Chief Executive Officer Ron Marshall. “It is difficult to make the decision to eliminate jobs, especially those of talented and dedicated leaders who have significantly contributed to our organization, yet streamlining our leadership and eliminating management layers will help us be more agile and at the same time advance us toward our expense reduction goals.”

In unlikely collaboration news, Harlequin books has teamed up with Big Fish Games, creating a two-year schedule for new games based on books and books based on games.

In summer 2009, Big Fish Games will begin publishing new, interactive games inspired by Harlequin Presents, the most popular romance-novel series in the world. The games will be sold in major retail stores and will be available online exclusively at BigFishGames.com. Big Fish promises “a new game every day” and the company’s current titles include Mystery Case Files, Hidden Expedition, Azada, and Fairway Solitaire.

Then, in the second quarter of 2010, Harlequin will begin publishing a book series inspired by one of Big Fish’s current best-selling game Mystery Case Files. Harlequin is the leading publisher of romance novels and women’s fiction, with about 120 new novels each month.

Like many critics and readers, I assumed that the vampire novel trend was a bandwagon-style one. I thought that, after the success of Twilight and Sookie Stackhouse, other writers started researching the vampire afterlife. So when Kimberly Pauley, author of Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (Maybe), left a comment pointing out that she actually finished here book before Twilight was published, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to find out more about the behind-the-scenes workings of the book publishing world.

GenreFiction: Is this your first published book?

Kimberly Pauley: Yes, it is, though I have been “around” the industry for years since I’ve been a book reviewer since 1998. I’ve previously published short stories and poetry.

GF: How long before it was published did you finish writing “Sucks to Be Me”?

KP: Well, I finished it in 2005, sometime around the summer. Let’s just say around August to make it easy, since the book came out in August of 2008. So that’s 3 years. That’s fairly typical, especially for a first time author (though I know people who worked for over 10 years on something before it came out). I got the news it was being published in July of 2007, so the editorial revision / publication process itself took about a year.

GF: Which step of the novel process was most tedious?

KP: Definitely the submitting. You send to an agent or editor, you wait. You get rejected (hopefully nicely), you send it out again to an agent or editor, you wait. Repeat. Repeat again. In general, I didn’t do any simultaneous submissions (which is also common; you generally don’t or can’t). Some people respond in as little as a week. Others might take months (or even over a year).

GF: Did anything surprise you about the process?

KP: Not really. I’d done a lot of research up front and, as I mentioned before, I’ve been around the industry so I knew that it was going to take a long time. I’m actually very happy with how everything worked out. My editor was great…actually, everyone at the publisher has been awesome. They were wonderful to work with. I’m still learning about the business end of things, but so far, I’d have to say that it has been a really good experience.

GF: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

KP: Have patience and write as often as you can!

What came before Sex and the City? Why Carrie Bradshaw’s teenage years, of course!

SATC author Candace Bushnell, who also wrote Lipstick Jungle, has just received a two-book deal with Harper Collins Publishers for The Carrie Diaries. The teen series will take a look back at Carrie growing up: How did she decided she wanted to be a writer? Who held her heart in high school? What clique did she hang out with?

Bushnell has expressed excitement about getting to re-explore such a dynamic character. “Carrie in high school did not follow the crowd–she led it,” says Bushnell. “It was there that she began observing and commenting on the social scene.”

Although it’s aimed at teenagers with its high school setting and less mature themes (let’s hope there less sex in her teenage city), I’m sure fans of all ages will gladly read every word of The Carrie Diaries … but we will have to wait to see. The first book is not expected until fall 2010.

**In other Candace Bushnell news, Lipstick Jungle is now available in paperback.**

Brace yourself. The teen fiction series to beat all teen fiction series ever has been contracted (please note: if you were listening to me say this in person, you would detect a high level of sarcasm).

Harper Collins Publishershas acquired all rights to a yet-to-be-written, three-part series of young adult books written by the least annoying chicklet from MTV’s The Hills, aspiring fashion designer (photo shown is for her purse collection) Lauren Conrad.

It’s a smart business move, I suppose, as L.C.’s work will sell well regardless of the quality, but what exactly led to this point? Did some approach Lauren thinking that she would be an ideal candidate for a young author? Has it been a dream of hers that she can pursue now that she has reality fame?

Whatever the reasoning behind it, the first in the L.A. Candy series which tells a story similar to L.C.’s actual life: girl moves to L.A., becomes unexpected reality TV star, and business opportunities. But wait, there’s more … “With her stardom comes wealth, famous friends, fabulous clothes, and romance - as well as the darker realization that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it appears to be.”

Aw, how sweet. It’s like when Britney Spears sang “Lucky” about a pop star that was suffering the negative aspects of fame.

It was the lawsuit filing heard ’round the fiction book world: Author J. K. Rowling, with the support of Warner Bros. Entertainment, filed suit against a blogger and small publisher who were preparing to publish a Harry Potter-based encyclopedia.

Michigan publishing house RDR Books probably thought they’d been handed a goldmine when blogger Steven Vander Ark came to them in hopes of turning his online rantings into The Harry Potter Lexicon. For some reason, no one at RDR saw it as a problem that Potter author Rowling had not OK’d it.

Legal proceeding took place to put a stop to the knock-off publication, and Monday, September 8, a ruling was announced: Rowling won. The judge awarded her and her publisher $6,750 in statutory damages and permanently blocked the book from publication.

In response to winning her case, Rowling released this statement:

“I took no pleasure at all in bringing legal action and am delighted that this issue has been resolved favourably. I went to court to uphold the right of authors everywhere to protect their own original work. The court has upheld that right.

“Many books have been published which offer original insights into the world of Harry Potter. The Lexicon just is not one of them.”

Rowling had previously praised Ark’s Web site, and took no legal action against it remaing online. She has acknowledge plans to release an official encyclopedia on Harry Potter’s world, but no word yet as to when fans can expect it.

Bloomsbury Auctions is preparing two hefty, book-related auctions replete with original artworks, children’s illustrations, 19th and 20th century literature, manuscripts, personal letters and notes, literary collections, early publications, and first editions and prints.

The goods are divided into two categories: The first collection - “Literature” - will be up for sale by auction on Thursday, June 19, starting at 2 p.m with a total of 302 lots that are currently available for online viewing.

The second - “Children’s Literature and Bibliophile Sale” - happens on Wednesday, June 25, at 2 p.m. with 509 lots that are also available for prior viewing online.

There are numerous authors with work up for grabs; some names include A. A. Milne, Hans Christian Andersen, Frank L. Baum, Truman Capote, Henrik Ibsen, Charles Lamb, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, J. M. Barrie, and William S. Burroughs.

Even if you don’t have the mad money to participate (starting bids range from about $200 to $2,000), it is utterly fascinating to peruse the items. As a book lover, I was in awe of how many original pieces were still around and intact.

Perusing a used bookstore is probably my favorite way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon. But you have to go with the open mind idea that you will be discovering new books, and only occasionally snagging a good deal on a bestseller. Plus, it >bothers me that they purchase the used books from patrons for only $1, then turn around and sell them for $8. That is an impressive markup.

I have found something that, while it won’t inspire the same giddiness as going to a used store, will help alleviate my qualms: PaperBack Swap.

Here’s the simple steps you can take at PaperBack Swap to trade your books for new ones:

1. Register.

2. List at least 10 books that you are willing to trade. Now you will have 2 credits good for 2 new books.

3. Request books that you are interested in.

4. Mail your books (+1 credit each) when requests come through to you; receive books (-1 credit each) when others mail you your requested ones.

5. Read a new book for only the cost of shipping one. Add it to your shelf, or toss it back in the mix of available books to be traded.

PaperBack Swap has been around enough years that the kinks should be worked out. With continued success in the book world, the company has added Swap-a-CD and Swap-a-DVD.

Borders, previously teamed online with Amazon.com, has branched out on its own to bring you a Web site experience as close to the in-store atmosphere that we love about book stores as possible.

There are so many new features, I couldn’t even begin to cover them all - you’ll have to just go see for yourself!

Be sure not to miss “Live at 01″ where you can see author interviews, in-store appearances, readings, and more. The “Magic Shelf” is another must-check out feature that allows you to peruse themed shelves, as you would in the store, and browse through books to help you decide if you should buy it.

But be warned, all of these new features use a lot of Internet technology that can jam your computer if you don’t have a top-speed connection. Plus, there’s no cafe to order a soy latte to enjoy while shopping - you’ll have to make it yourself.

Deeming a book a “best” is not an exclusive right of the New York Times. Although the Times are certainly top in the game, and pull from all genres, there are many other great - and fun - resources out there. Some create their own criteria, and others pull from NYT.

I’m going to randomly grab different sources’ lists, to find who thinks what books are “best.”

First up: HarperCollins Publishers, by total random chance.

On their Web site, HarperCollins will tell you which of their new releases (in the last three months) have made it onto the NYT bestsellers’ list. Out of the 31 adult books currently making the best of HarperCollins, here are the fiction ones. And since I am guilty of judging books by their covers, the two pictured are the ones that caught my eye based on cover design alone. Click a title to head to its page.

* Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos

* Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline

* The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross

* Bulls Island by Dorothea Benton Frank

* The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison

* Sin No More by Kimberla Lawson Roby

* Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews

* Another Thing to Fall by Laura Lippman

* Sword Song: The Battle for London by Bernard Cornwell

* Rules of the Game by Neil Strauss

* The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich

* Wrath of a Mad God: Book Three of the Darkwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist

* Where the Heart Leads: From the Casebook of Barnaby Adair by Stephanie Laurens

* Manic: A Memoir by Terri Cheney