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Executive
Moves, Book Deals and More Industry News
FROM PUBLISHING
TRENDS (JULY 2001)
People
There’s much happening
at 375 Hudson Street: Danny Gurr has resigned
as CEO of DK’s US operations, as a result of
the following organizational changes effective immediately:
The US editorial department will report primarily to
DK UK Publisher Christopher Davis. Sales and
Marketing will report through Dick Heffernan,
President, Director of Sales, Adult Hardcover and Children’s
Books, at Penguin Putnam Inc. Skip Fisher
will continue as Chief Operating Officer of DK US, reporting
primarily to David Shanks. His secondary reporting
line is to Anthony Forbes Watson, CEO of The
Penguin Group [UK].
As reported elsewhere, Louise Burke leaves NAL
for Pocket as Mass Market Publisher (with Judith
Curr moving within the Adult Trade Group to launch
a hardcover line, PB Press), while HarperCollins’
Adrian Zackheim moves to Viking to launch
a business book imprint. (He and Bill Shinker
both start on Sept. 4th, as does Lauren Marino,
who is leaving Broadway to follow Shinker as
Executive Editor.) And Leslie Gelbman has been
promoted to the newly created position of President
of Mass Market Paperbacks, responsible for all aspects
of the mass-market publishing programs for NAL and
Berkley, including hardcover. She will report to
David Shanks. Finally, Julie Shiroishi has
been promoted to Director of Advertising and Promotion
at Viking and Penguin, while Gretchen Koss has
been promoted to Director of Publicity for Viking Studio.
She will continue to work on Viking and Penguin
titles in her new position.
Lisa Kitei has left Cahners, where she was
SVP Communications. She is one of 200+ people who have
been laid off from the company since the beginning of
the year. She may be reached at Ljkitei@aol.com.
Randy Kaye has been named VP Director of Sales for
Exley Gift Books (USA). He was National Accounts
Manager for Random House Value Publishing. .
. . Ronni Stolzenberg has been named Associate
Director of Marketing for the American Museum of
Natural History. . . . Natalie Chapman has
gone to Creative Homeowner to “expand and diversify”
its list. She was most recently at Discovery
Books. . . . Alice Baker, formerly of
S&S and Rebus, has been named
Director of Specialty Retail for the von Holtzbrinck
group of companies, reporting to Judy Sisko.
. . . Meanwhile, Manie Barron, Publishing Manager
at HC’s Amistad imprint, has joined William
Morris. . . . Paul Schnee has been named
Senior Editor at ReganBooks/HarperCollins.
He was formerly at Contentville.
As reported elsewhere, Julie Burns has been named
President of Ingram Book Company. She had been
President of Ingram Periodicals. She succeeds Jim
Chandler, who continues as Chief Commercial Officer.
More movement in children’s books: Vivian Antonangeli
resigned from Penguin Putnam, where she had
been President and Publisher of Grosset. Deborah
Dorfman from Scholastic is taking over the
position. Margaret Anastas, Editorial Director,
has also left Grosset (as have two others) and has gone
to HarperCollins Children’s Books. And, Daisy
Kline has been named Retail Marketing Director for
HCCB. She hails from Random House. . . . Jeff
Conrad has left Millbrook, where he was President
and CEO. His position will not be filled; Jean Reynolds,
SVP, Publisher, Dave Allen, COO and CFO, and
Dick McCullough, VP of Sales and Marketing, will
assume his responsibilities. Howard Graham continues
as Chairman. . . . Angus Killick has been named
Director, Global Marketing, for Disney Publishing,
reporting to Jeanne Mosure. He was previously VP Director
of Marketing at PP for Young Readers. . . . And Christine
Longmuir is joining Harcourt Children’s Books
as Director of Marketing. She was at Ten Speed
Press’s Tricycle Line.
Deals
Doubleday has
signed a two-book deal with Pete Dexter. ICM’s
Esther Newburg agented. . . . Robin Straus has
sold Jim Villas’s memoir, an inside look at the
food world, to Susan Wyler at Wiley. And
Harvard Common Press has just signed up his new
book, The Biscuit Bible (to follow Crazy for
Casseroles, which he is completing now) to Pam
Honig, his longtime editor. . . . At press time,
word is that the auction has concluded on Bill McKibbin’s
book on the perils of genetic engineering. Gloria
Loomis is the agent and the price is in the mid
six figs. No word yet as to the winner.
Duly
Noted
Changes in the generally
stable von Holtzbrinck stable: WH Freeman
has been closed, with all 7 editors terminated. The
books will now be published by Holt, most in
the Times Books imprint, under David Sobel.
. . .
•
On a brighter note, Priddy & Biddle,
St. Martin’s first serious, albeit quiet, foray
into the world of children’s book publishing, will ship
their first titles in July. The idea took serious form
in the minds of two DK-trained executives, John
Sargent, CEO von Holtzbrinck US, and Steve Cohen,
newly promoted COO of SMP, and now President of this
new imprint. When Pearson acquired Dorling Kindersley
and began a series of UK layoffs (see “People” section),
it hired six former DK staffers in the UK, headed by
Richard Priddy, design, and Joanna Bicknell,
sales and business management. The open design photographic
baby board books and toddler activity titles (ranging
from $4.95 to $9.95) will be recognizable to many, and
the line is aimed initially at the merchandise corner
of the market, with books being offered non-returnable
but at a generous discount. Although the group is based
in the UK, the primary market is — and the books must
work in — the US. Co-editions with Macmillan
UK and sister publishing arms including Australia and
South Africa, as well as Holtzbrinck in Germany, will
be offered and encouraged, but participation is apparently
not mandatory. Rights will be available to all in the
rest of the world, with P&B operating somewhat as
an independent packager. Jeanette Mall, also
a former DKer (US) is coordinating editorial efforts
in the US. Each title on this list will have a first
printing in the 100,000-copy range, with about nine
series in the first catalog.
•
Comment made by Tuttle’s VP Sales and Marketing,
on the industry’s current spate of high returns: “That’s
what they’re using print-on-demand technology for: They’re
printing returns.”
• It’s hard to imagine you haven’t gotten an invitation
to AAP’s “Introduction to Publishing” seminar
on Oct. 1 & 2 in New York (we got 8 of them — two
for each “department” in our corporate offices, including
Finance) but if you haven’t and are interested, call
Aimee Catalano at 212 255-0200 ext. 262.
Events
Jacqueline Susann
would have loved the party — but maybe not the music?
In any event, the DKNY store on Madison and 60th
was crammed full of beautiful people to celebrate the
publication of Rae Lawrence’s sequel to Valley
of the Dolls, based on a written draft worked on
for many months by the diva herself (she died of cancer
in 1974). Co-hosts Crown and Interview
staff members were joined by the likes of celebs Rona
Jaffe (who is the one who REALLY started it all),
Sopranos’ star Jason Cerbone, veteran
baseball player Keith Hernandez, as well as the
book’s original editor Ann Patty.
•
Fledgling publisher Red Rock Press, owned
and operated by Ilene and Richard Barth,
celebrated the publication of the latest, Sloth
(fourth in the “Sin Series”), with a party for author
Dale (“On the seventh day God rested, he did
not play squash” to NYT’s Clyde Haberman) Burg,
featuring, natch, pigs in a blanket and sloe (get it?)
Gin fizz. Following Gluttony, Lust, and Greed,
the next title is Envy, Anger & Sweet Revenge:
Hey, it Works in Hollywood by Stephen M. Silverman.
• And Michael Cader’s take on the most recent
publisherslunch.com Live Lunch, held on June 20 and
devoted to the ineffables of the Random/Rosetta
and Wind Done Gone court cases: “Everyone left
the event more confused than when they came, and with
a greater sense of the nuance and complexity of both
of the cases at issue. Even the lawyers speaking both
acknowledged the reasonableness and sound argument of
the opposition. . . .”
©2001
Publishing Trends
