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Publishing Industry News: Dec. 6, 2019

• Carol Hinz at Lerner/Carolrhoda has bought world rights to The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Khoa Le. Drawn from the author’s childhood experiences as a Hmong refugee, this picture book weaves together her story with that of her beloved grandmother. Kao Kalia Yang’s book The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir was the 2018 Door County Reads selection.

• Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh has pled guilty to fraud and tax-evasion conspiracies to illegally hide profits from sales of her children’s books to enhance her political and personal fortunes.

• The New York Public Library has acquired rare correspondence, unique photographs, original artwork, printed books and ephemera by Virginia Woolf to add to its Virginia Woolf collection – arguably the world’s most complete and important collection of Woolf material.

• IDW Publishing, owned by actor George Takei, has launched a new Spanish-language initiative to publish back-list titles in new Spanish-language editions. His acclaimed graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, will be released in June with a new Spanish-language edition.

• Two major Polish publishing houses – Prószyński i S-ka and Czarna Owca – have teamed up to launch a new online bookstore, Inverso, to offer their print books, e-books and audiobooks.

• Michelle Obama has earned a Grammy nomination in the spoken-word category for the audiobook edition of her memoir, Becoming.

• Jack London’s popular novel, The Call of the Wild, has been adapted for the big screen with Harrison Ford starring as John Thornton. The Call of the Wild follows Buck, a big-hearted dog, after his blissful domestic life is turned upside down when he’s taken from his California home and transplanted to the frigid Alaskan Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. The movie will hit theaters Feb. 21.

• Payne Lindsey and Donald Albright – creators of the true-crime podcast Up and Vanished – have signed a two-book deal with Dey Street Books. The authors will write a series that delves into missing-persons cases that have not been explored on the podcast.

• Scribd has received $58 million in new financing, which the company says will allow it to “continue to operate sustainably and efficiently.”

• Idris Elba’s production company will adapt a forthcoming book from #Merky Book, an imprint of Stormzy publishing, for television. Teaching My Brother to Read by Derek Owusu follows the author as he tries to connect with his brother, who keeps getting into trouble, by offering him £50 ($64) for every book he reads.

• Bookclubz, a website dedicated to organizing book clubs, has launched a free app for Android and iOS. 

• The San Diego bookstore Mysterious Galaxy needs a new owner and location to stay in business because its lease is up in fewer than 60 days. For the last 26 years, the store has focused on science fiction, fantasy, mystery, young adult, romance and horror books. The #SaveMysteriousGalaxy hashtag has gathered support, including from author Neil Gaiman.

• In a Nov. 22 filing, lawyers for Barnes & Noble moved for summary judgment on two of the three claims filed against the company by fired CEO Demos Parneros, seeking to knock out the two most dangerous causes of action against the bookseller. In a 33-page supporting memorandum, Barnes & Noble attorneys argue that Parneros’ claims for defamation and breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing fail because there is no evidence to support them.