Barnes & Noble Pulls Penny Marshall’s Book
A directive from Barnes & Noble to its retail outlets has instructed them to pull Penny Marshall’s new release, “My Mother Was Nuts,” from their shelves, Publishers Weekly reports.
It is not the content of Marshall’s memoir, but the publisher from whence it comes that offends the policy of the bookselling giant. The print edition is published by New Harvest, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which distributes titles published electronically by Amazon Publishing.
In January, Barnes and & Noble announced its “decision not to stock Amazon published titles in ... store showrooms,” in a statement quoting chief merchandising officer Jaime Carey. The decision was “based on Amazon’s continued push for exclusivity with publishers, agents, and the authors they represent,” The New York Times recounted.
A report by Melville House’s Kelly Burdick seemed to contradict that policy when Burdick found Marshall’s book on the shelf of a Manhattan Barnes & Noble store.
Following the discovery of the New Harvest book on bookshelves, Barnes & Noble “told any of its stores that have stocked Penny Marshall’s ‘My Mother Was Nuts’ to remove the book from shelves,” according to Publishers Weekly.
Banned Books Week Puts Spotlight on Censorship
The American Library Association (ALA) kicked off its annual Banned Books Week on Sept. 30, “celebrating the freedom to read.” Marking its 30th anniversary, the awareness effort includes a “virtual read out” in which participants create YouTube videos in which they read excerpts of banned or challenged books and share information about why the book was considered controversial.
The most frequently banned books listed on the organization’s website include such familiar titles as “Harry Potter,” “Of Mice and Men,” “The Color Purple”, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” and “Brave New World.”
Paramount Can Make More ‘Godfather’ Films
A federal court ruled last week on a countersuit made by the estate of “Godfather” author Mario Puzo against movie studio Paramount Pictures. The ruling confirmed that the contract between the author and Paramount providing film rights to “Godfather” books would not be cancelled as the estate wished, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Questions regarding other elements of the contract between the two entities remain, however, as the lawsuit presses on.
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