Publishing Pulse for August 23, 2013

New At QueryTracker:

Congratulations to a new QueryTracker success story, Mike Grosso! Go read about how he found an agent for his contemporary midgrade novel.

This week we've updated six agent profiles. Because things change so quickly in this industry, please make sure you double-check every agent's website or Publisher's Marketplace page before sending your query.

If you're a QueryTracker premium member, then you can be notified whenever an agent or publisher profile is added or updated. If you're not a premium member, you can just check for yourself.

Publishing News:

Writer Elmore Leonard died this week at age 87 after publishing more than forty books.

Barnes and Noble's financial troubles continue, with the bookseller abandoning plans to split up the company and founder Leonard Riggio deciding not to buy the bookstores. Although in some good news, Simon and Schuster has reportedly settled their issues with B&N.

Neil Gaiman will have a road named after one of his novels.

Rust Consulting estimates that 23 million people will receive money back in the ebooks pricing settlement, an average of $7.

Around the Blogosphere:

Some interesting survey results on marketing, how readers find books, and what matters most to them.

Fun ensues when Google Play updates while a traveler is in Singapore, subsequently locking him out of all his books. (I have a soft spot in my heart for this kind of situation: last month my daughter's ereader updated itself while she was on vacation and locked her out of all her books as well, even though the books were DRM-free and she was still in the same country.)

Forgotten Bookmarks found a heartbreaking letter from a little girl named Emma, est 1880-1910.

The New York Review of Books publishes mostly men, and it responds to criticism with a form letter.

Agent Jenny Bent offers tips on schmoozing with agents at conferences.

Literary Quote of the Week:

"Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion." -Barry Lopez

Thanks for stopping by, and keep sending those queries!

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Jane Lebak is the author of The Wrong Enemy. She has four kids, three cats, two books in print, and one husband. She lives in the Swamp and spends her time either writing books or swatting mosquitos. At Seven Angels, Four Kids, One Family, she blogs about what happens when a distracted daydreamer and a gamer geek attempt to raise four kids. If you want to make her rich and famous, please contact the riveting Roseanne Wells of the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency.