INSIDER
Publishing saw upheaval in 2020, but 'books are resilient'
Read full article: Publishing saw upheaval in 2020, but 'books are resilient'(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)NEW YORK – Book publishing in 2020 was a story of how much an industry can change and how much it can, or wants to, remain the same. To its benefit and to its dismay, publishing was drawn into the events of the moment. Penguin Random House, among other initiatives, asked all employees to read Ibram X. Kendi’s “How To Be an Anti-Racist.” Kendi later presided over a company town hall. Macmillan CEO Don Weisberg, who cited a wide range of diversity programs at the publishing house that began before “American Dirt,” said he “understands the skepticism." The CEO of Penguin Random House U.S., Madeline McIntosh, noted how well book publishing could meet the public's needs during the pandemic and other events of 2020.
Trump books will continue after Trump leaves office
Read full article: Trump books will continue after Trump leaves officeNEW YORK – One of publishing's most thriving genres of the past four years, books about President Donald Trump, is not going to end when he leaves office. In 2021 and beyond, look for waves of releases about the Trump administration and about the president's loss to Democratic candidate Joe Biden. “But there are tens of millions of Americans who look to the Trump presidency as an important time and are fans of his administration. Center Street, a Hachette Book Group imprint, has published Donald Trump Jr., Newt Gingrich and Judge Jeanine Pirro among others. Any publisher signing with Trump or a top administration official might face the anger not just of Trump critics among the general public, but from within the industry.
David and Nicola Yoon launch YA imprint for people of color
Read full article: David and Nicola Yoon launch YA imprint for people of colorNEW YORK – Best-selling authors David and Nicola Yoon are launching a Random House Children's Books imprint for young adult romance novels by and about people of color. They are calling the imprint Joy Revolution and plan to release the first books in 2022. “I loved romantic comedies and romance novels when I was younger. “All readers deserve to see themselves represented in the books they read," Barbara Marcus, president and publisher of Random House Children's Books, said in a statement. David Yoon is known for such novels as “Frankly In Love” and “Super Fake Love Song.” Books by Nicola Yoon, his wife, include “The Sun Is Also a Star" and “Everything, Everything.”