According to The Chicago Tribune, Malcolm O’Hagan founded the American Writers Museum Foundation more than three years ago.

The foundation executives plan to open the museum’s doors sometime in 2015.

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Last week, a federal judge approved a settlement between between Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins and the Department of Justice. Soon eBook marketplaces can sell some digital books at a discount, reigniting the eBook price wars.

Prices on Hachette and Simon & Schuster digital books still contain the “This price was set by the publisher” tag on Amazon, but their price restrictions will also be lifted as part of the agreement. In the meantime, we took a look at the most expensive books from these publishers–a way to track the changes in agency model books.

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David McCullough Jr. has inked a book deal with HarperCollins’ Ecco imprint for a book based on his high school commencement speech, “You Are Not Special” (video embedded above).

McCullough Jr. is an English teacher and the son of historian David McCullough. His speech criticized our national focus on being special, explaining that  “life is a great adventure to swallow whole rather than a checklist to complete.” McCormick & Williams agent Amy Williams negotiated the deal with executive editor Hilary Redmon. Publication is tentatively set for fall 2013.

Here’s an excerpt from the speech that earned 1.6 million views on YouTube: “You’re not special. You’re not exceptional; contrary to what your U9 soccer trophy suggests, your glowing seventh grade report card; despite every assurance of a certain corpulent purple dinosaur, that nice Mister Rogers and your batty Aunt Sylvia. No matter how often your maternal caped crusader has swooped in to save you, you are nothing special. Yes, you’ve been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble-wrapped.”

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Julia Prosser has been named assistant director of publicity. Prosser has worked with many authors, including David McCullough, A.J. Jacobs and Nicholson Baker. Kelly Welsh will now serve as senior publicity manager. Welsh has lead PR campaigns for Jeffery Deaver, Cara Hoffman and Jeff Guinn.

Michelle Jasmine has been named publicist. Jasmine began as a marketing intern and has worked her way into the publicity department. Margaret Kingsbury has become an associate publicist. Kingsbury came from a previous position as a radio producer.

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According to Time Magazine, the list includes: “Hot, Flat and Crowded” by Tom Friedman, “John Adams” by David McCullough, “Lush Life” by Richard Price, “Plain Song” by Kent Haruf, and “The Way Home” by George Pelecanos. Earlier this year, the literary president was caught reading books by novelist Colson Whitehead and Joseph O’Neill.

Here’s a hardboiled excerpt from “Lush Life,” one of this GalleyCat editor’s favorite reads from the list: “The Quality of Life Task Force: four sweatshirts in a bogus taxi set up on the corner of Clinton Street alongside the Williamsburg Bridge off-ramp to profile the incoming salmon run; their mantra: Dope, guns, overtime; their motto: Everyone’s got something to lose.” (Via Book Bench)

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“I hope it can mark a beginning of more of this kind of integration of art and history,” McCullough told the AP, speaking from a hotel in St. Louis, where he was in the midst of a Midwestern lecture tour. “I’ve tried, as much as I can, to encourage teachers to teach history this way – there’s nothing like the experience of holding a real letter or diary in your hands from a distant time. It’s the closest you can get to being in touch, having a tactile connection with those vanished people.”

The project was first suggested by Simon & Schuster, says McCullough, who embraced what he calls a “a new way to unfold what was the most important year and important war in our history.” Simon & Schuster’s publisher and executive vice president, David Rosenthal, says that he liked the idea of “1776″ as a “coffee table reference and browsing book” that would expand the appeal for a work of history that already has sold more than 2 million copies. THE ILLUSTRATED EDITION has an announced first printing of 250,000.

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