Chain Reaction

We talked with the leaders of Books-A-Million about the recent resurgence of the nation’s second largest bookstore chain. Months after the NEA terminated its literary arts grants, a coalition of seven charitable organizations led by the Mellon Foundation has launched a new initiative that plans to distribute $50 million to nonprofit literary organizations across the country over the next five years. Plus, we continue our Star Watch finalist rollout leading up to Friday’s winner announcement with a spotlight on Legacy Lit associate editor Amina Iro. Simon & Schuster is suing the estate of Nelson DeMille to recoup $1.275 million it claims to have paid out for a novel that the late mystery author never completed, per the New York Post. Amazon is planning to cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs starting today, according to Reuters. The New York Times profiles Navy-SEAL-turned-thriller-author Jack Carr and the community of bookish veterans that has sprung up around his books. Longtime PW contributor Gayle Feldman talks with Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt for the Bookseller about the democratization of chain stores and the importance of libraries. And Canadian historian and author Tim Cook has died at 54.