Bob Barker from The Price is Right is writing an autobiography! Center Street, the imprint of Hachette Book Group that specializes in "wholesome entertainment" and books that champion "traditional values," plans to publish it in 2009.  read more »

Former editor-in-chief of Reader’s Digest Jackie Leo and Williams College math professor Edward Burger are teaming up to write a book about the history of the number ‘7’ for Twelve Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group USA started in 2005 that defines itself by its small list of titles and selectivity.  read more »

You just know a foreigner was responsible for scheduling Hachette Book Group’s upcoming summit for editors and executives at the Battery Park Ritz Carlton Hotel, which will start this Sunday evening, with a welcome ceremony that overlaps with the Super Bowl, and end on Tuesday night, when N.Y.C. primary polls will be closing.

Top editors from Hachette’s much-larger U.K. branch are flying over for the event, which, according to Hachette U.S.A. CEO David Young, is intended to give editors a chance to talk about the differences between the American and British book markets and also to discuss what the two have in common. Editors from Grand Central Publishing, Little, Brown and other Hachette houses will eat dinner together and drink cocktails, as well as listen to and participate in panel discussions, one of which, according to a source, will feature literary agents Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, Sloan Harris, Tina Bennett and Kim Witherspoon and be emceed by publishing industry guru Michael Cader.  read more »

Michelle Rapkin, formerly an editor and VP at Doubleday, has been named executive editor of Center Street, an imprint of the Hachette Book Group, it was announced today.

Ms. Rapkin, who specializes in religious books, is the second current or former Doubleday editor in two days to leave for Hachette; just yesterday, Hachette named Deb Futter editor-in-chief of its Grand Central imprint.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This post has been updated from an earlier version, which incorrectly stated that Ms. Rapkin is currently an editor and VP at Doubleday. In fact, she left the imprint in 2005. Media Mob regrets the error.