BTW News Briefs

HarperCollins Reorganizes

As part of a major structural reorganization, HarperCollins has named Michael Morrison president and group publisher of the newly created HarperMorrow division of its General Books Group, overseeing the HarperCollins, William Morrow, HarperEntertainment, Morrow Cookbooks, HarperPerennial, Avon, Eos, Dark Alley, Amistad, HarperAudio, HarperLarge Print, and PerfectBound imprints.

The company also announced the launch of a Collins division in the U.S. to further the company's "Publishing+" initiative to build a global, consumer-information publishing business. Joseph Tessitore has been named president of this division of the General Books Group. Collins U.S. will publish in the reference, lifestyle, and wellness categories. In the future, it will also include co-branded and proprietary publishing programs.

The branded Collins list will be comprised of approximately 150 titles annually, with the first list launched in Fall 2005. HarperInformation, which includes the HarperResource, HarperBusiness, and HarperSanFranciso imprints, and HarperDesign will be incorporated into Collins.

Morrison and Tessitore will report to Brian Murray, group president of HarperCollins Publishers.

IBF Condemns Ban of The Da Vinci Code

On November 15, the International Publishers' Association (IPA) and the International Booksellers Federation (IBF) condemned the confiscation of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code in Lebanon. According to several reports, the sûreté asked Lebanon's Catholic Information Center for their opinion on The Da Vinci Code in early September 2004. As a result of this consultation, it banned the book, ordering Lebanese booksellers to take all French, English, and Arabic copies off the shelves on September 10, 2004. Said Lars Grahn, the Swedish Publisher chairing the IPA's Freedom to Publish Committee: "The banning of The Da Vinci Code in Lebanon is in direct breach of the right to freedom of opinion and expression."

Christopher Buckley Wins Thurber Prize

Christopher Buckley has been awarded the 2004 Thurber Prize for American Humor. Buckley was recognized for his novel No Way to Treat a First Lady (Random House). Set in the nation's capital, the book is a "warped love story" about an ambitious First Lady who has been charged with killing her philandering husband. The award, presented by Thurber House, the national literary center for writers and readers, carries with it a $5,000 prize.

Children's Book Week Underway

Children's Book Week -- a national celebration of the written word that is meant to introduce young people to new authors and ideas in schools, libraries, homes, and bookstores -- began on Monday, November 15 and runs until November 21. The theme for the 85th annual observance, which is sponsored by the Children's Book Council (CBC), is "Let's Book."

CBC's extensive list of online resources for celebrating Children's Book Week, as well as photos of this week's activities, can be found at www.cbcbooks.org.