Further LBC News

The Associated Press has just run a piece about the LBC‘s plans for its Read This! selection.

While he won’t reveal the inaugural nominees (there are five) until after May 15, he said that they include a novel in translation, experimental fiction and a graphic novel. Two of the books are from major publishing houses and three are from “pretty small houses,” including Brooklyn-based Soft Skull Press.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” Soft Skull publisher Richard Nash wrote in an e-mail. “The Lit Blogs are now doing what e-mail and the Web couldn’t pull off: connect writers to readers more smoothly.”

Should the Soft Skull book be selected, he added, “we’ll go to town promoting it” and the literary blogging community.

Another nominee is published by Pantheon Books, a division of Random House. Senior publicist Michiko Clark said that, while Pantheon is very excited to be among the picks, the house is taking a wait and see attitude.

Only another four weeks to go before the announcement. Should be fun.