Pat Conroy Literary Center Names Jonathan Haupt as First Executive Director

Jonathan Haupt has been named the executive director of the new Pat Conroy Literary Center [9] in Conroy’s adopted hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina.

As director of the University of South Carolina Press, Haupt created and co-chaired the Pat Conroy at 70 Festival, held at University of South Carolina Beaufort Center for the Arts last October. Following the author’s death from pancreatic cancer on March 4, 2016, Haupt recast the event as the Pat Conroy Literary Festival.

Haupt’s position as the Pat Conroy Literary Center’s inaugural director was announced on October 22 at the closing ceremony of last month’s festival. The Pat Conroy Literary Festival will serve as the center’s signature annual event.

Amazon’s Non-Prime Members Pay More for Books at Bricks-and-Mortar Stores

Amazon’s bricks-and-mortar bookstores have a new pricing structure that incentivizes people to become Prime members, GeekWire reported [10].

Since August, Amazon’s 63 million Prime members, who pay $99 a year for membership, have been able to purchase books and other items (not including devices) at any of the company’s three current bricks-and-mortar stores at the same price they sell for on Amazon.com. Non-Prime members, however, are required to pay the list price.

Customers are given the option to sign up for a 30-day Prime trial at checkout, GeekWire said.

800-CEO-READ Business Book Awards Longlist Revealed

On November 1, 800-CEO-READ [11] announced the longlist for its 2016 Business Book Awards [11] in the categories of Leadership & Strategy; Management & Workplace Culture; Marketing & Sales; Innovation & Creativity; Personal Development & Human Behavior; Current Events & Public Affairs; Narrative & Biography; and Big Ideas & New Perspectives.

The company, which specializes in large orders, bulk books, author services, eBooks, and business books, said submissions for the award were up 52 percent from last year and came from a wider array of publishers, imprints, and authors than ever before.

800-CEO-READ will announce the winner each in category on December 6; category winners will then be in the running for Business Book of the Year.

The winners of Business Book of the Year and the Third Annual Jack Covert Award for Contribution to the Business Book Industry will be announced on January 12.

Marilyn Nelson Named Winner of NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature

Children’s book author, translator, and poet Marilyn Nelson [12], whose work explores history, race, and feminism in America, has been named the winner of the 2017 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature.

World Literature Today, the international literature and culture magazine, awards the biennial $25,000 prize in alternating years with its Neustadt International Prize for Literature. The NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature recognizes accomplished and decorated poets, authors, and illustrators worldwide whose works have made a significant contribution to the quality and diversity of children’s or young adult literature. Next October’s 2017 Neustadt Festival will be held in Nelson’s honor.

Nelson is a University of Connecticut professor emeritus and former Connecticut poet laureate who has written or translated more than a dozen works. She is a three-time finalist for the National Book Award and has been recognized with the Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Honor, and the Pushcart Prize. She is also the recipient of fellowships with the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.