The Andersons Make Bid for BAM
The Anderson family, which controls 58% of the stock of Books-A-Million, is offering $2.75 per share to acquire the remaining shares of the bookstore chain that it does not already own. The Anderson family withdrew an offer to take the company private in 2012.
S&S Launching Two New Imprints
Simon & Schuster has created North Star Way, a new publishing unit that will offer authors a suite of profile-building services. The imprint will be helmed by v-p and publisher Michele Martin. In addition, S&S started a new literary fiction imprint called Scout Press, which is launching with Did You Ever Have a Family by literary agent Bill Clegg. The imprint will be housed in the Gallery Books Group, and Jennifer Bergstrom, publisher of Gallery, will be overseeing it.
CBC and ECAR Revamp Children’s Choice Awards
The Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader have announced a change in the selection process for the Children’s Choice Book Awards, and have phased out previous awards to usher in new ones, on the heels of a controversy that flared up last year when Rush Limbaugh won the 2014 Children’s Choice Author of the Year award. The CBC and ECAR are replacing the previous awards, for author and illustrator of the year, with new awards that are not based on sales performance alone. For 2015, there will be three new award categories: Children’s Choice Debut Author, Teen Choice Debut Author, and Children’s Choice Illustrator Award.
Loft’s Executive Director to Step Down
Jocelyn Hale announced that she is stepping down from her post at the Minneapolis literary center, where she spent years as ED and another five as a board member. The Loft’s 22-member board initiated a national search for her replacement on January 30 and hopes to fill the position by August.
Oyster Adds Harry Potter
E-book subscription service Oyster has teamed with J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore website to make all Harry Potter e-books available through Oyster. Subscribers will have access to the seven original Harry Potter e-books, as well as the Hogwarts Library—the three additional books Rowling wrote about the Potter world.
Donnelley Makes Courier Bid
A bidding war could be in the offing for Courier Corp. After signing a definitive purchase agreement with Quad/Graphics, the company received an unsolicited takeover proposal from R.R. Donnelley. In its bid, Donnelley offered to acquire Courier for $23 per share.
