The Other Miramax Chapter
By JEFFREY A. TRACHTENBERG
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
December 10, 2004; Page B1
The possible divorce of Walt Disney Co. and the two Weinstein brothers won't just affect the silver screen. A hot young book publishing company also is caught in the fracas.
Miramax Books, which has blended of-the-moment books with successful children's series, is a piece of the business still in play between the two sides. And the outcome of this chapter heavily relies on Jonathan Burnham, the imprint's highly regarded president and editor-in-chief.
Harvey Weinstein has been crucial in gaining access to high-profile authors such as Barbara Walters and Rudolph W. Giuliani. "The world I live in is filled with connections," says Mr. Weinstein, a fixture in New York media circles. Mr. Burnham, on the other hand, has played another key role. A Brit with both publishing and society ties, he is widely credited with giving the imprint its smart, youthful energy.
At a time when the book publishing industry is struggling to compete with DVDs, videogames and the Internet, a multifaceted team with connections to Hollywood and beyond go a long way. Miramax Books says that 18 of the 80 adult and children's hardcover books it has published since 2000 have made the New York Times hardcover bestseller list, a remarkable record. This year's hits include newsman Tim Russert's "Big Russ & Me," which now has more than 500,000 copies in print, and writer Plum Sykes's "Bergdorf Blondes," which boasts more than 250,000 copies in print. Not all the big names have scored: basketball player Yao Ming's memoir "Yao" was a disappointment.
"We've created an imprint where Harvey can woo those big names while I develop younger writers and franchise authors such as Michael Chabon in a more traditional way," says Mr. Burnham.
Miramax Books has published 80 hardcover books since 2000.
One scenario calls for Harvey and Bob Weinstein to leave Miramax Films while buying the publishing unit. But Disney, with its obvious focus on children, may not want to lose kid franchises that Miramax Books has nurtured into potentially valuable entertainment properties. In particular, Eoin Colfer's three "Artemis Fowl" books have sold four million copies in the U.S. in hardcover and paperback, and more titles are on the way. There will likely be a film version -- Miramax Films currently has the rights -- and other spin-offs are possible. Moreover, Disney already has its Hyperion book unit which could work with Miramax.
If Disney retains the imprint, Mr. Burnham could opt to stay on, editing and promoting the authors whose careers he has championed. But that would likely mean cutting his ties to Mr. Weinstein. If the brothers are unable to wrest Miramax Books from Disney, Mr. Burnham could leave the imprint when his contract expires.
Mr. Burnham won't say whether he would join Harvey Weinstein in a new book venture, although his ties to the movie mogul are strong. He also won't discuss whether he has been approached by Disney executives about his willingness to stay, saying only that he has had an excellent relationship with a number of Disney executives. His contract expires next June.
Mr. Burnham graduated from Oxford University in 1982. Seven years later, Mr. Burnham joined the London publisher Chatto & Windus, now a unit of Bertelsmann AG, where he rose to publisher. Then, in 1998, he moved to the U.S. as a senior editor at Pearson PLC's Viking imprint. Nine months later he was hired away by Harvey Weinstein and Tina Brown, then editor of Talk Magazine. Back in 1993, Miramax Books had been launched as an imprint specializing in screenplays and film tie-in books. After renaming the imprint Talk Miramax Books, Ms. Brown hired Mr. Burnham to make it the literary arm of Talk Media.
Although Talk magazine failed, and Miramax Books reverted to its original name, Mr. Burnham proved to have the right sensibility for a pop culture house. A classically trained pianist who performs in a cabaret act called "Rocky and Johnny," Mr. Burnham describes himself as a mainstream publisher. His first major hit at Miramax Books was Jerri Nielsen's "Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole." The memoir quickly became a national bestseller.
For his part, Mr. Weinstein expressed the hope that he and Mr. Burnham will be in business together for many years to come -- with or without the Miramax Books backlist. Indeed, the two share a similar sensibility. After learning that Rachel Pine, a former publicist at Miramax Films, had written a satirical manuscript about "two notorious brothers" who run a film studio and the travails of a young woman who works for them, he and Mr. Burnham bought "The Twins of Tribeca" for the imprint. "I thought it was hilarious," says Mr. Weinstein. "Besides, chick lit sells."
Meanwhile, the book unit's uncertain future has created concern among literary agents. Simon Lipskar, an agent with Writers House who has submitted proposals to Mr. Burnham in the past without success, says, "We may make a submission, but if an offer is made, we'll ask hard questions."
Write to Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg at jeffrey.trachtenberg@wsj.com
By JEFFREY A. TRACHTENBERG
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
December 10, 2004; Page B1
The possible divorce of Walt Disney Co. and the two Weinstein brothers won't just affect the silver screen. A hot young book publishing company also is caught in the fracas.
Miramax Books, which has blended of-the-moment books with successful children's series, is a piece of the business still in play between the two sides. And the outcome of this chapter heavily relies on Jonathan Burnham, the imprint's highly regarded president and editor-in-chief.
Harvey Weinstein has been crucial in gaining access to high-profile authors such as Barbara Walters and Rudolph W. Giuliani. "The world I live in is filled with connections," says Mr. Weinstein, a fixture in New York media circles. Mr. Burnham, on the other hand, has played another key role. A Brit with both publishing and society ties, he is widely credited with giving the imprint its smart, youthful energy.
At a time when the book publishing industry is struggling to compete with DVDs, videogames and the Internet, a multifaceted team with connections to Hollywood and beyond go a long way. Miramax Books says that 18 of the 80 adult and children's hardcover books it has published since 2000 have made the New York Times hardcover bestseller list, a remarkable record. This year's hits include newsman Tim Russert's "Big Russ & Me," which now has more than 500,000 copies in print, and writer Plum Sykes's "Bergdorf Blondes," which boasts more than 250,000 copies in print. Not all the big names have scored: basketball player Yao Ming's memoir "Yao" was a disappointment.
"We've created an imprint where Harvey can woo those big names while I develop younger writers and franchise authors such as Michael Chabon in a more traditional way," says Mr. Burnham.
Miramax Books has published 80 hardcover books since 2000.
One scenario calls for Harvey and Bob Weinstein to leave Miramax Films while buying the publishing unit. But Disney, with its obvious focus on children, may not want to lose kid franchises that Miramax Books has nurtured into potentially valuable entertainment properties. In particular, Eoin Colfer's three "Artemis Fowl" books have sold four million copies in the U.S. in hardcover and paperback, and more titles are on the way. There will likely be a film version -- Miramax Films currently has the rights -- and other spin-offs are possible. Moreover, Disney already has its Hyperion book unit which could work with Miramax.
If Disney retains the imprint, Mr. Burnham could opt to stay on, editing and promoting the authors whose careers he has championed. But that would likely mean cutting his ties to Mr. Weinstein. If the brothers are unable to wrest Miramax Books from Disney, Mr. Burnham could leave the imprint when his contract expires.
Mr. Burnham won't say whether he would join Harvey Weinstein in a new book venture, although his ties to the movie mogul are strong. He also won't discuss whether he has been approached by Disney executives about his willingness to stay, saying only that he has had an excellent relationship with a number of Disney executives. His contract expires next June.
Mr. Burnham graduated from Oxford University in 1982. Seven years later, Mr. Burnham joined the London publisher Chatto & Windus, now a unit of Bertelsmann AG, where he rose to publisher. Then, in 1998, he moved to the U.S. as a senior editor at Pearson PLC's Viking imprint. Nine months later he was hired away by Harvey Weinstein and Tina Brown, then editor of Talk Magazine. Back in 1993, Miramax Books had been launched as an imprint specializing in screenplays and film tie-in books. After renaming the imprint Talk Miramax Books, Ms. Brown hired Mr. Burnham to make it the literary arm of Talk Media.
Although Talk magazine failed, and Miramax Books reverted to its original name, Mr. Burnham proved to have the right sensibility for a pop culture house. A classically trained pianist who performs in a cabaret act called "Rocky and Johnny," Mr. Burnham describes himself as a mainstream publisher. His first major hit at Miramax Books was Jerri Nielsen's "Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole." The memoir quickly became a national bestseller.
For his part, Mr. Weinstein expressed the hope that he and Mr. Burnham will be in business together for many years to come -- with or without the Miramax Books backlist. Indeed, the two share a similar sensibility. After learning that Rachel Pine, a former publicist at Miramax Films, had written a satirical manuscript about "two notorious brothers" who run a film studio and the travails of a young woman who works for them, he and Mr. Burnham bought "The Twins of Tribeca" for the imprint. "I thought it was hilarious," says Mr. Weinstein. "Besides, chick lit sells."
Meanwhile, the book unit's uncertain future has created concern among literary agents. Simon Lipskar, an agent with Writers House who has submitted proposals to Mr. Burnham in the past without success, says, "We may make a submission, but if an offer is made, we'll ask hard questions."
Write to Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg at jeffrey.trachtenberg@wsj.com