Welcome to this week’s news post and it is has been an eventful week with news of more lawsuits over 50 Shades infringement, Random House new Digital imprints, and more book news!

Random House has announced they will soon be launching three digital imprints called Alibi (Mystery and Suspense), Flirt (New Adult) and Hydra (Scifi and Fantasy) which will join their sister imprint, Loveswept (Romance).  Random House is also on the search for self published authors who are willing to submit their books to these imprints, which is not surprising because quite a few authors have been recently picked up by major publishers via self publishing platforms. But Random House is not the only big publisher expanding in digital imprint, HarperCollins, Penguin and Simon and Schuster have all released or will be starting their own lines. More information on submissions can be found here.

Simon and Schuster have entered the vanity press business which is pretty disappointing because they are involving a company called Author Solutions which has been linked scams that have cheated authors who bought into their services. They will be launching Archway Publishing and have created packages that range from $1600 and upwards for packaging and editing books. However unlike self publishing independently – Archway will also claim 50% of the royalties as well as advance payment for editing and publishing the book.

Due to the success of E.L James’ Fifty Shades of Grey series – it is so not surprising that a porn movie has finally cashed in although unlike other porn parodies, they haven’t bothered to try to use a parody name which is disappointing but Universal and James have started legal proceedings to stop the release of Fifty Shades of Grey: A XXX Adaption – which they claim has stolen plot points, characters and is infringing on James’ trademark and copyright.  Of course the irony is that Fifty Shades was originally a Twilight fanfic. But it will be interesting to see how this pans out in court.

News in Brief:

Stephen King’s Under the Dome has been picked up for a 13 episode order for next summer by CBS.

Neil Gaiman has been confirmed to write the pilot script for his adaption of his novel of  American Gods  for HBO.

Following up on her dystopian trilogy – Suzanne Collins has announced that she will be releasing an autobiographical picture book next year. Year of the Jungle will chronicle the time her father was away in Vietnam and her  family’s experience in dealing with this.

And now for books to watch out for!

First up – there is no cover, or title or even a detailed blurb (yes I know its beyond torturous) but Nalini Singh’s mysterious 12th Psy Changeling book is going to be a humdinger of an entry – and let the speculation begin! My bet is the Ghost’s story!

Get ready for a major event in the smash-hit New York Times bestselling series—a secret finally revealed, and fans are guaranteed an epic surprise.
In 2006, Nalini Singh introduced the beguiling and sensual Psy/Changeling world in Slave to Sensation, which spawned a series that has had readers and critics cheering. Throughout the incredible 11-book run there has been one question that has tantalized Nalini’s legion of fans. Now, in the eagerly-awaited twelfth book in the series, Nalini Singh finally reveals the answer to the biggest Psy/Changeling mystery—an answer so surprising we wouldn’t dare spoil it. Even if we knew.

 

 

Thea Harrison has a brand new duology out next year  which looks fantastic! Rising Darkness is slated next April.

 

 

USA TODAY best-selling author Thea Harrison begins an all-new, darkly romantic paranormal saga, in which the fate of existence itself lay in the balance — and the key to victory may rest in the hands of two eternal lovers …

In the hospital ER where she works, Mary is used to chaos. But lately, every aspect of her life seems adrift. She’s feeling disconnected from herself. Voices appear in her head. And the vivid, disturbing dreams she’s had all her life are becoming more intense. Then she meets Michael. He’s handsome, enigmatic, and knows more than he can say. In his company, she slowly remembers the truth about herself …

Thousands of years ago, there were eight of them. The one called the Deceiver came to destroy the world, and the seven came to stop him. Reincarnated over and over, they carry on — and Mary finds herself drawn into the battle once again. And the more she learns, the more she realizes that Michael will go to any lengths to destroy the Deceiver.

Then she remembers who killed her during her last life, 900 years ago … Michael.

The cover for The Ward was so striking that it caught me at hello! This is also slated for April and it has a very interesting premise!

 

Sixteen-year-old Ren is a daredevil mobile racer who will risk everything to survive in the Ward, what remains of a water-logged Manhattan. To save her sister, who is suffering from a deadly illness thought to be caused by years of pollution, Ren accepts a secret mission from the government: to search for a freshwater source in the Ward, with the hope of it leading to a cure.

However, she never expects that her search will lead to dangerous encounters with a passionate young scientist; a web of deceit and lies; and an earth-shattering mystery that’s lurking deep beneath the water’s rippling surface.

Jordana Frankel’s ambitious debut novel and the first in a two-book series, The Ward is arresting, cinematic, and thrilling—perfect for fans of Scott Westerfeld or Ann Aguirre.

What do you think about Random House’s new imprints? Do you think big publishers will move to more digital first books like they do with e-presses such as Samhain and Carina Press? And what do you think about  of the other stories I highlighted this week? 

About Has

Has is a bookaholic and feeds her addiction whenever she can. She usually can be found lost in a Romance or an Urban Fantasy novel. Her favourite sub genres are Paranormal, Fantasy and some Scifi. Her most treasured authors are, Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, Ann Aguirre, Lisa Kleypas and Tamora Pierce. She loves that discovery of finding a brand new author and falling in love with their books. Has also blogs a The Book Pushers - Book chatter and reviews

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