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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
Neil Gaiman Accused of Sexual Assault by Two More Women
In an exclusive four-part podcast series last month, Tortoise Media reported that two women, who were 20 and 23 at the time of the alleged events, had accused Neil Gaiman of sexual assault. The story was picked up in a few places but didn’t go wide in the way you’d expect when a famous writer with a huge and devoted fandom is the subject of a #metoo report. Now, two more women have come forward with similar allegations, and one of them has receipts in the form of a $275,000 settlement that was accompanied by an NDA. Gaiman has denied all allegations.
Maybe Next Time He’ll Think Before He Cheats
Once upon a time, Hannah Pittard and her husband Andrew Ewell became best friends with another couple, Anna Shearer and Ryan Fox. The four were inseparable and everything was great…until 2016, when Ewell slept with Shearer, Pittard found out, and both marriages ended.
Last year, Pittard released We Are Too Many: A Memoir [Kind Of], in which she tells the story of her marriage and its dissolution through text messages and conversations both real and imagined between herself, Ewell, Shearer, Fox, and the friends and family who became involved in the foursome’s messy multi-part breakup. It’s a fascinating document—and a real choice—and I wondered when I read it if Ewell would eventually respond. Apparently, he did earlier this year. His novel Set for Life, about a creative writing professor who (you guessed it) sleeps with his wife’s best friend, came out in February. It’s the type of drama typically reserved for reality TV, and Chris Heath’s profile of the former couple is knife-and-fork reading.
Court Approves Barnes & Noble Purchase of Tattered Cover
Earlier this week, a federal bankruptcy court approved Barnes & Noble’s acquisition of Colorado indie bookstore chain Tattered Cover. With the $1.83 million deal sealed, Tattered Cover will continue operating under its existing name and branding and will reportedly retain a majority of current employees. A retail giant purchasing an indie bookstore was a huge surprise when the story broke in June, and it prompted responses ranging from “huh” to outright panic. Barnes & Noble’s assurance that Tattered Cover will retain its identity and employees seems to have quelled most of the concern-fear-outrage. What happens next could be super interesting or totally uneventful, and I’m looking forward to find out.
The Book Deal Trends of 2024 So Far
Book deal announcements offer a glimpse into where publishers think the market will be a few years out. Book Riot’s Danika Ellis offers an analysis of the book deal trends of 2024 so far, including A.I., Palestine, and yes, of course, more romantasy.
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