Barnes & Noble Is Pivoting To Books
After a not-great second quarter, with a $30 million net loss, Barnes & Noble’s leadership has decided to rejuvenate stores and bring customers back by switching gears and focusing on books. Which sounds like satire, but isn’t. The company plans to place more emphasis on books over non-book assortments, and shed some under-selling stock in gifts, toys, and games. According to CEO Demos Parneros, a big takeaway from customer research was that people liked interacting with B&N’s human booksellers. Again, not satire.
Emma Cline’s Ex-Boyfriend Sues Her For Plagiarism
Moving on to thrillers, Emma Cline’s ex-boyfriend filed a lawsuit alleging that she plagiarized parts of her debut novel, The Girls, with the help of spyware installed on a computer she sold him. Cline denied the allegations and filed a countersuit, claiming his actions are part of a jealousy-fueled, long-term assault on her mental health and reputation in the literary world. The countersuit does acknowledge that she used spyware to get information on ex Chaz Reetz-Laiolo’s infidelity during their relationship back when they were both aspiring writers, but says she didn’t have access to the software after she sold the computer to him.
American Gods Showrunners Exit Series
And finally, unexpected news from the thrumming world of adaptations: American Gods’ Michael Green and Bryan Fuller have exited the series. There was talk that Neil Gaiman might jump in as showrunner, but this rumor was struck down by Gaiman himself. No word on why Green and Fuller left as of the writing of this newsletter, but Deadline mentioned word that the showrunners’ split may have been over the series’ budget.
Today in Books is sponsored by Tru and Nelle: a Christmas Tale by G. Neri.
In this sequel to Tru & Nelle, told over three Christmases, readers are transported back to the 1930s, drawing upon real events—from tender personal moments to the awful truth of living with segregation and Jim Crow Laws—to tell the bittersweet history that inspired some of Capote and Lee’s greatest works.
Inspired by the early relationship of Truman Capote and Nelle Harper Lee, this powerful story of friendship also explores race, what it means to be a family, and the possibility of miracles.