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Executive
Moves, Book Deals and More Industry News
FROM PUBLISHING
TRENDS (MAY 2001)
People
Candy Lee,
formerly CEO of Troll Communications, has joined
iFormation Group as the MD of Sales & Marketing.
Launched in June 2000, iFormation is a partnership of
The Boston Consulting Group, General Atlantic
Partners, and Goldman Sachs that partners with
“the world’s leading companies by investing in and operating
new technology businesses that leverage their existing
assets.”
David Streitfeld, who covered the book industry
and more recently, Silicon Valley for the Washington
Post, has moved to the LA Times, though his
beat has not yet been determined. . . . Coincidently,
on April 23, the week of her 25th anniversary in publishing
(her first job was working for literary agent
Wendy Weil), Martha Levin began as Publisher
of The Free Press. Congrats on both counts. .
. . Amy Rhodes, previously at Abrams,
has been named VP and Publisher for Rodale Trade
Books, beginning on May 14th. Meanwhile Tracy Rhodes,
also from Abrams, has gone to Thames & Hudson
as Publicity Director. Word of layoffs at Abrams continues
to seep out.
Melanie
Fleishman, former director of Marketing and Publicity
at Soho Press, has joined Picador as Associate
Publisher. She is joined by Christine Stanley,
formerly of Vintage, as Director of Publicity.
. . . Charles Bozian, CFO/COO for Columbia
University Press, has left to join Von Holtzbrinck
in a strategic planning capacity as well as functioning
as CFO for Picador. . . . And Julie Schaper,
VP Sales and Marketing, has left Consortium distributors.
As previously reported, Y.S. Chi was appointed
President of Random House, three months after
joining the company from Ingram. And David
Naggar was promoted from senior VP and deputy director
of sales for the Random House sales group to director
of the unit. Peter Clifton, CEO of PubEasy,
has left the company, which will now be absorbed back
into Vista. . . . BISG announced the appointment
of Frank Daly, previously of getAbstract.com
and Baker & Taylor, as the new Executive
Director. Daly has long served on the BISG board.
Recently renamed Red Wheel/Weiser has named Chris
Wold from Tuttle to be its Sales & Marketing
Director. . . . Bill Massey, publisher of Headline
Feature in the UK, is coming to the US as senior editor
at Bantam, starting in mid-June. . . . Jennifer
Marshall was promoted from Associate Director to
Director of Publicity for Anchor Books. She will
report to Anne Messitte, VP Publisher of Vintage
and Anchor. And while on the subject, Tina Pohlman
goes to Carroll & Graf as Senior Editor from
Anchor, via a brief stint at AOL. Alan Young
from Cambridge UP becomes Publicity Director.
Houghton Mifflin chairman and CEO since 1990 Nader
Dareshori, who turns 65 in December, will retire
within the next year. The company is searching for a
successor. . . . Martingale & Co., publisher
of quilt, craft, and hobby books in Woodinville, Washington,
has named Shelley Santa Trade Sales Manager.
She was National Accounts Manager at Pleasant Company.
. . . After fourteen years at HarperCollins,
Steven Sorrentino, Vice President, Executive
Director of Publicity, is leaving to write a
book. He tells PT that it will be a “kind of
dual memoir. It will be about my own coming of age as
told through the lens of my relationship with my father.
He was a remarkable man who was stricken with a rare
neurological disease on December 24, 1980, which would
make him a paraplegic for the last 16 years of his life.”
Sorrentino tells PT that his father went on to
become mayor of the town, while his son took over the
family business, and small luncheonette on the Jersey
shore. Sorrentino may be reached at StevenNYC@att.net.
Virtual
People
Elizabeth Mackey, formerly VP of content at Softbook/Gemstar,
has joined Franklin Electronic Publishers as
VP of content.
Duly
Noted
Avalon Publishing
Group is consolidating as of May 21 in a new office
at 161 William Street. The new offices will house Carroll
& Graf, Thunder’s Mouth Press, Marlowe
& Company and Blue Moon Books. Herman
Graf and Neil Ortenberg will run the new
operation, reporting to Susan Reich. Balliett
& Fitzgerald principals and six employees will
join Avalon and provide editorial assistance and infrastructure
as they continue their own packaging projects.
•
Looking for a few good Interns? We have a variety
of resumes from college students looking for summer
jobs. Some are from CCNY’s Publishing Certificate
Program, and have experience in publishing. If you have
any need, call us at 212 447-0855.
•
Lindsay Waters, the longtime Publishing Director
of Harvard University Press, writes in the Apr.
20 Chronicle of Higher Education that universities
and their presses must give up the “publish or perish”
mantra. On average a monographic study in the humanities
sells between 275 and 600 copies, he says, and Harvard
estimates it loses $10,000 on every book that sells
only 500 copies.
•
Congratulations to HarperCollins CEO Jane
Friedman, who won a Matrix Award on the April
23 Women in Communications event at the Waldorf
Astoria. In her acceptance speech she thanked News
Corp’s Anthea Disney, who hired her, and
who had won the same award two years earlier.
In
Memoriam
Agent Candida Donadio
and editor Phyllis Levy were remembered by
their friends and colleagues in back to back memorial
services. Donadio’s fierce advocacy on behalf of her
writers was recalled and will be remembered via the
Candida Donadio Award (an agent’s Roger Klein
award) to be administered by CLMP (154 Christopher
Street, #3, NY, NY 10014). Phyllis’ love of animals,
and particularly cats, was cited by Larry Ashmead,
who mentioned Ginny, “the dog who rescues cats,” and
The Ginny Fund (PO Box 967, Long Beach, NY 11561). Both
organizations will accept donations.
May
Dates
The Third Annual
Conference on Nonfiction Writing and Awards Ceremony
in honor of Anthony J. Lukas takes place May
8 from 6 – 8 at Columbia U. Graduate School of Journalism.
Call 212 854-4130 or email lukas@jrn.columbia.edu
for details.
•
Literacy Partners has its annual black tie Evening
of Readings on May 14 at Lincoln Center. Featured hosts
include Liz Smith, Tom Brokaw, David
Sedaris, Anne Beattie, Barbara Goldsmith,
and Robert Caro, with honorees Pete Peterson,
Oprah Winfrey, and Joan Ganz Cooney. Call
212 573-6933 for details.
•
The Entertainment, Media & Communications Division
of the UJA will be presenting the Steven J.
Ross Award to Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Middelhoff
on May 15 at the Waldorf Astoria. Call 212 836-1147.
•
(For those who like to plan, Pat Schroeder will
be honored by the UJA on June 6th at the Grand Hyatt.
Contact Marcy Frank at 212 836-1448.)
•
The New Yorker Festival runs May 18–20
in, yes, New York, with interviews, readings, panels,
tours, and meals. Martin Amis and Norman Mailer,
Nick Hornby and Zadie Smith etc. will
read, while Bill Buford will interview Bill
Bryson, Wendy Wasserstein and Paul Rudnick
will participate in a panel discussion on “writing
funny,” and there’s a Bob Dylan concert to benefit
PEN at Town Hall on Saturday.
•
TextOneZero New York 2001 runs May
22–23 at the Marriott Brooklyn, and is “designed to
equip you with the knowledge, tools and contacts you
will need to fully capitalize on the potential of the
emerging digital publishing industry.” Speakers include
Pat Schroeder and Bob Stein, and topics include
“Tarzan Economics.” A two-day pass is $1195, but discounts
are available. Go to www.textonezero.com.
June
Preview
The Audio Publishers
Association hosts its Sixth Annual Audie Awards
on June 1 at the Art Institute of Chicago (June 1 is
the first day of BookExpo). Be sure to bring your black
tie. Contact Beth Baxter at BethBB@aol.com.
©2001
Publishing Trends
