Every week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.
How the Literary Community is Helping Minnesota
AI and Its Lack of Human Feeling
Literary Agent on Finding Huge Successes Within Fanfic Websites
How Will Shein Affect the Publishing Industry?
Extra: A Deep Dive into Romance/Fantasy Novels and Their Political Meanings
Every week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.
Thriftbooks 500 Billion Page Challenge
Spotify Quietly Improving Their Audiobook Game
The Librarian’s Fight for Book Diversity
Will Reading on Twitch Help Raise Literacy Rates?
PEOPLE
At Penguin Random House, Kendall Hinson joins as assistant managing editor, corporate bookmaking, supporting the RHPG managing editorial team. She was previously associate production editor Tapas. Nora Becker joins as assistant managing editor, corporate bookmaking, supporting the Harmony, Rodale, Convergent, and One World imprints. She was previously in the editorial department at the University of California Press.
Lakeside Book Company has Todd McGarity joining as senior vice president of business development, book services. He was previously SVP Business Developments at Hachette Book Group.
At Simon and Schuster, Clarissa Hadge has joined the independent sales team as field account manager, New England. She was previously at Hachette Book Group. Simon Maverik has Juliana Nador joining as an associate editor. She was previously at Union Square & Co.
Harper Collins has Noah Perkins joining as production editor. Perkins was previously managing editorial and production associate at Neuwirth & Associates.
Island Press has become an imprint of Princeton University Press, welcoming Heather Boyer, publisher at Island Press, Stacy Eisenstark, senior editor at Island Press, and Emily Turner, senior editor at Island Press. Rachel Kindler also joins as publishing manager. She was previously associate editor at University of Notre Dame Press.
Deep Vellum brings on Hannah Smith as poetry editor.
Lakeside Book Company has Todd McGarity joining as senior vice president of business development, book services. He was previously SVP Business Developments at Hachette Book Group.
At Buchwald, Noah Ballard has joined as VP of Media Rights & Publishing. He was previously at Verve.
Wiley brings on Armughan Rafat as chief AI and data services officer, reporting to CEO Matthew Kissner. He was previously chief analytics officer at Norstella.
Ingram Content Group brings on Gabriel Kashin as vice president of product merchandising. He was previously at Powell’s Books.
At Hub City Press, Kate McMullen becomes associate publisher.
Abrams has Liam Flanagan joining as art director, licensed entertainment.
At Penn State University Press, Abby Naqvi will join as sales and marketing director. She was previously director of marketing and sales at Teachers College Press. Katie Luu has been named journals marketing specialist. She was previously program analyst for Volpe National Transportation Systems Center.
At Lonely Planet, Colin Shields has joined in the newly created role of senior director of sales & marketing, North America. He was previously vice president and executive director of global digital & international sales at Simon & Schuster.
The Collective Book Studio has Rebekah Lovato Piatte joining as children’s editorial director. She was previously at Insight Editions, where she developed, launched, and managed the IncrediBuilds imprint.
Within International Literary Properties CEO of ILP Literary, Scott Hoffman has left his position, working in a consulting role for the company. James Meader has joined as president, publishing. He was previously associate publisher at Vintage. Jennifer Bassuk has joined as president, partnerships. She was previously at Amazon, Audible and News Corp.
At Collective Book Studio, Rebekah Lovato Piatte will join as children’s editorial director. She was previously at Klutz Press and Insight Editions, and worked as an independent contractor.
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In Agency News…
P.S Literary Agency has Elizabeth Guthrie joining as associate literary agent. She was previously talent director and literary agent at Lucinda Literary.
At Context Literary Agency, Monica Rodriguez has been promoted to senior agent. She remains director of brand management.
At Fuse Literary, Karly Dizon and Ernie Chiara have been promoted to senior agent.
TvS Media Group promotes Hannah Boardman to senior publicist.
At Franklin Siegal & Yanez, Jasper Cerone is promoted to associate literary scout. FSY will now scout YA, in addition to adult, for Orion Publishing Group.
Within Assemble Media, Hannah Carande has joined as editor, literary & IP. She was previously associate, literary and IP at 3 Arts Entertainment.
Madeline Milburn Agency brings on Callen Martin as an agent, representing children’s and young adult fiction. He was previously at Bell Lomax Moreton.
Andrea Colvin has created a literary agency, Andrea Colvin Creative Agency, specializing in children’s books. Colvin previously founded Little, Brown Ink and was editor in chief at Lion Forge.
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PROMOTIONS
Within Random House Children’s, Jules Buckley has been promoted to junior designer, art/design. Juliet Goodman has been promoted to senior designer, art/design. Estefania Valencia has been promoted to assistant editor, Random House Studio. Lydia Gregovic has been promoted to editor, Delacorte Press. Random House Publishing has Laura Keefe joining as vice president, executive director of marketing, overseeing marketing efforts for Random House, One World, The Dial Press, Hogarth, and Modern Library. Most recently, she was vp, senior director of marketing at Knopf. At Ballantine Bantam Dell, Keith Clayton moves up to svp publisher, Random House Worlds, now reporting to RHPG president Sanyu Dillon. Within Penguin Random House Christian, promotions include Beverly Rykerd to vp, senior director of publicity and communications, Johanna Inwood to marketing director, Bridget Baxter to senior manager, publisher’s office & operations, reporting to Campbell Wharton, and Leslie Calhoun to editor, reporting to editorial director Madison Trammel. At Berkley, Tara O’Connor has been promoted to publicity manager.
At Macmillan, Celadon promotes Faith Tomlin to assistant editor. Minotaur promotes Kelley Ragland to svp and publishing director and Catherine Richards to vp, associate publisher. Within St. Martins Publishing Group, Zoë Miller has been promoted to senior publicist. Kiara Ronaghan has been promoted to associate publicist. Austin Adams has been promoted to associate marketing manager. Michael Criscitelli has been promoted to executive art director, Creative Studio. Dylan Helstien has been promoted to senior manager, Creative Studio. Lauren Germano has been promoted to senior designer, Creative Studio. At Flatiron, Cathleen Kenney has been promoted to publicity manager, Alexus Blanding has been promoted to publicist, and Kate Lucas has been promoted to assistant editor.
Promotions at Source Books include Scott Eells to director of automation & AI, Lismarie Cuevas to sales manager for international sales, and Cana Clark to senior marketing associate at Sourcebooks Kids.
At Deep Vellum, Sarah McEachern has been promoted to rights director and associate publisher.
The Grove Atlantic promotes Jisu Kim to sales and operations director.
Holt promotes Sam Wiener to associate publicist. Alex Foster, Zoe Affron, and Leela Gebo have all been promoted to assistant editor.
At Avery, Isabel McCarthy has been promoted to editor.
Knopf Double Day Publishing Group promotes Emily Murphy to senior director, marketing, leading the entire Knopf marketing team and Matthew Sciarappa to director.
At Scholastic, Tessa Meischeid has been promoted to associate publicity director. Aleah Gornbein has been promoted to senior publicist.
Kensington promotes Elizabeth Trout to senior editor.
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DULY NOTED
Publisher’s Weekly announced a new weekly bestseller list launched by Independent Publishers Caucus, a collective of 117 small and independent publishers, in collaboration with American Booksellers Association, named the Independent Press Top 40 Bestsellers. You can find the list here.
Folio Literary has announced their acquisition of boutique children’s agency, Greenhouse Literary from the Coolabi Group. Chelsea Eberly will join Folio Jr. as VP and agent, along with her assistant, Huyen Vu. “I’ve long admired the Folio and Folio Jr. team and know that the Greenhouse Literary Agency’s legacy will continue alongside such stellar colleagues,” Eberly stated.
At Ballantine Bantam Dell President Kara Welsh departs on March 31 after 25 years at the Random House Publishing Group. Scott Shannon will take over as president of BBD, where he “will drive an ambitious growth agenda while strengthening BBD’s market leadership in commercial publishing across categories such as book club fiction, commercial nonfiction, romance, mystery, thriller and more.”
International Literary Properties secured a five-year credit facility access to more than $100 million of capital to support ILP’s acquisition growth from Fifth Third Bank. Amanda Siconolfi stated “We are pleased to partner with Fifth Third Bank on this landmark transaction. This credit facility will help ILP continue its strong acquisition momentum heading into 2026, after doubling the size of our portfolio in 2025.”
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EVENTS
Jan 23rd
New York, NY
Jan 24th
Biographers International Organization Biography Lab
New York, NY
Jan 26th- Feb 3rd
Kolkata International Book Fair
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Jan 29th-31st
Daytona Beach, FL
Jan 31st
Bookworm Festival for Young Readers
Houston, TX
Every week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.
AI Assisted Versus AI Generated
Lawsuit Against Google Gemini AI Continues
Every week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.
America’s Reading Stats for 2025
The Importance of Reading Full Novels
New Bill to Make Digital Books More Accessible
Publishing and Its Carbon Footprint
EXTRA: A Chat With Emily Henry and Her Rise to Fame
PEOPLE
At Hachette Book Group, Ed Spade has joined as senior vice president, commercial operations, reporting to deputy ceo Richard Kitson. Spade was previously president of sales at Harper Collins. Abigail Koons has joined as vice president of subsidiary rights, also reporting to Kitson, and succeeding Nancy Wiese who has left the company. VP, corporate business development and strategy Todd McGarity has left after almost 17 years with the company. At Little Brown, Kim Dayman joins as Director of Backlist, reporting to Sally Kim.
At Macmillan, Karen Bullock has joined as senior manager, strategic projects, business development.
Podium Entertainment brings on Jiayun Yang as subsidiary rights manager. She was previously at Assemble Media.
At Publishing Perspectives, Andrew Richard Albanese joins as editor-in-chief. He will retain his role as editor of the site Words & Money as well.
At Scholastic, executive vice president and chief growth officer Jeffrey Mathews has also been named president, Scholastic Education. He has served as interim head of the division since June 2025.
At Kensington, Adam Zacharius has been named president, succeeding his father, Steven Zacharius, who will remain as chairman and ceo.
At Kirkus, Meg LaBorde Kuehn returns as ceo and publisher. The company also acquired AudioFile Magazine and will now feature an audiobook section within Kirkus Reviews, edited by AudioFile’s managing editor Jennifer Dowell.
McGraw Hill has Philip Moyer coming on as president, ceo, and board member on February 9. Moyer succeeds Simon Allen, who will retire and remain board chair.
At Catapult, Counterpoint, and Soft Skull, Olivia Hammerman has joined as production editor.
Crooked Lane/Alcove Press brings on Gary Goldstein as an editor. He was previously an editor and editorial director at Kensington for 22 years. Elana Gibson has joined as an editor. She was previously at CamCat Publishing.
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In Agency News…
At UTA, Kelly Karczewski was promoted to agent.
At Triada US, Brent Taylor has been promoted to vice president, executive agent.
Britt Siess Creative Management has Phoebe Schmidt joining the agency, representing upmarket science fiction and fantasy. She was previously an independent scout and book-to-film agent at Paradigm Talent Agency.
At Martin Literary Management, Charlie Serabian has joined as literary manager representing genre fiction and select nonfiction. Jess Taylor has joined as literary manager representing primarily young adult and new adult. She is a former acquisitions editor.
At Great Dog Literary, Ismita Hussain has been promoted to senior agent. Gabriella Melendez has been promoted to agent.
New Leaf Literary and Media promotes Eileen Lalley to licensing manager. Katherine Curtis has been promoted to manager, film & TV. Keifer Ludwig has been promoted to subrights and literary associate. Jenniea Williams has been promoted to literary manager. Lindsay Howard has been promoted to literary associate.
At Handspun Literary, Justina Ireland joins as associate agent. She is the author of multiple books as well as a writer of both comics and television. Cheyenne Faircloth has been promoted to agent.
Fortier Public Relations has Lauren Ortiz joining as assistant publicity director. She was previously at Little, Brown.
International Literary Properties brings on James Meader as the division’s president of publishing, and Jennifer Bassuk as president of partnerships. Both joined ILP’s New York office on January 5.
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PROMOTIONS
At Avery Books & Tarcher, Maya Ono has been promoted to marketing manager.
Promotions at Zando include Sarah Ried to deputy editorial director of the Zando, Tin House and Imprint Partner lists, Caolinn Douglas to senior editor, TJ Ohler to editor, and Natalie Ullman has been promoted to director of social media. Zoey Cole has also been promoted to associate director of marketing, Christopher King to creative director, and Khalil Commissiong has been promoted to manager, inventory and sales analytics. Liz Eriksson has been promoted to contracts director. Kayla White has been promoted to associate production manager.
Little Bee promotes Jaime Gelman to editor and Sydney Hackley to junior designer.
At Catapult, Counterpoint, and Soft Skull, promotions include Olenka Burgess to production director, Wah-Ming Chang to director of managing editorial, and Laura Berry to senior production editor.
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DULY NOTED
Novelist Dinaw Mengestu was elected president of PEN America. He succeeds Jennifer Finney Boylan. “Dinaw Mengestu has spent his career illuminating the borders between countries, histories, and identities, and bringing readers into the lives of those too often pushed to the margins,” said PEN interim ceo and chief of Free Expression programs Summer Lopez.
Storm Literary Agency founder Essie White has launched a new, independent agency named Essie White Literary, where she will be representing authors and illustrators. She will continue to represent the majority of her long-term clients and some new clients.
A new literary agency, Confluence Literary Agency, has been founded from the merger of two previous agencies, Bond Literary Agency and Copps Literary Services. They will be representing commercial fiction, literary fiction, and nonfiction for children and adults. Founders Sandra Bond, Elizabeth Copps, and Becky LeJeune will serve as principals. Joining as agents are Nicole Payne, who was previously at CLS, and Rose Conway, who was previously at Foreword Literary Consulting.
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EVENTS
Jan 16-19th
Galloway, NJ
Jan 24th
Biographers International Organization Biography Lab
New York, NY
Jan 26th- Feb 3rd
Kolkata International Book Fair
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Jan 29th-31st
Daytona Beach, FL
Jan 31st
Bookworm Festival for Young Readers
Houston, TX
Every week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.
How AI Is Going to Change Publishing
Books-A-Million’s CEO Answers a Few Questions
The Year Wrapped Up in 50 Literary Articles
PEOPLE
At Penguin Random House, Milena Brown moves over from the Doubleday imprint to become as vp, deputy publisher of One World. At Cherry Lake Publishing Group, Matt Warner joins as director of marketing. Previously, he was marketing director for Baker & Taylor Publisher Services. Penguin Press brings on Haley Bracken as associate editor. She was previously at Liveright. Random House has Nick Cummings joining as senior full stack developer. He previously led DevOps initiatives at MassMutual Financial Group. Zoe Karoub, most recently an intern at Macmillan Children’s, has joined Random House Children’s Books as publicity assistant. Random House Studio brings on Maria Correa as editor.
At Macmillan Audio, Jennifer Donovan has joined as director, editorial. She was previously at Penguin Random House.
At Sourcebooks, Emily Engwall has joined as marketing & publicity manager, Poisoned Pen Press. Erika Tucker has joined as associate director, international sales. Nicole Turner has joined as production Specialist II. Jade Draper has joined as customer experience representative.
Harper Collins brings on Elizabeth “Liz” Catalano as senior managing editor for Harper, Ecco, Broadside Books, Harper Business, Harper Edge, and Harper Influence.
Hachette Book Group brings on Sophie Kossakowski as senior manager, international sales & marketing. She was previously at Sourcebooks.
At Zando, Katrina Tiktinsky joins as senior publicist. Tiktinsky was previously at Algonquin.
At Catapult, Counterpoint, and Soft Skull, Amina Washington has joined as assistant publicist.
Cecelia Sagun has joined Simon Maverick as editorial assistant.
PJ Library and PJ Publishing brings on Erinn Pascal, formerly senior editor at Andrews McMeel Kids, as author stewardship manager.
At The Stable Group, Blake Faire has joined as marketing associate. Carmel Madadshahi has joined Montague Books and The Stable Book Group as editorial and marketing coordinator.
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In Agency News…
Europa Content brings on Amanda Bernardi as literary agent. She was previously at Highline Literary Collective.
At Stimola Literary Studio, founder Rosemary Stimola becomes CEO, continuing to oversee her clients and the agency. Adriana Stimola succeeds her as president, serving her own clients and managing the business. Peter Ryan will become chief financial officer. Erica Rand Silverman becomes vice president of children’s publishing, representing clients and providing guidance and strategic growth. Rights director Allison Hellegers is also promoted to senior agent.
The Future of Agency brings on Kailey Wolcott as senior publicist and Alyssa diPierro as campaign manager, both on contract.
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PROMOTIONS
Within Random House Children’s, Shana Corey has been promoted to vp, associate publisher, Random House Brands. Heidi Kilgras has been promoted to vp, associate publisher, Random House Brands. Sara Sargent has been promoted to editorial director, Rodale Kids. Gillian Levinson has been promoted to vice president, publishing director. Random House also promotes Saige Francis to managing editor at Bantam Dell. John McGalagly has been promoted to VP of finance at Penguin Random House Audio. Penguin Random House Canada promotes Kelly Glover to senior director, children’s sales and marketing.Anthony de Ridder has been promoted to creative director, marketing design. Anna Trew has been promoted to manager, consumer insights and solutions. Cindy Pang has been promoted to sales associate, in-market.
Macmillan Audio promotes Emily Dyer to director, marketing and Samantha Edelson to vp, associate publisher.
At Harlequin, Bryony Green is promoted to publishing director, overseeing the series romance editorial program. Kathleen Scheibling has been promoted to senior executive editor. Flo Nicoll has been promoted to executive editor. Harlequin Intrigue promotes Caroline Timmings to editor.
The Stable Book Group promotes Jack Zinsser has been promoted to marketing manager. Kierra Sondereker has been promoted to senior editor at Ulysses Press and VeloPress. Abbey Gregory has been promoted to designer and head designer at The Stable Book Group and Montague Books. Yesenia Garcia has been promoted to operations manager, production.
At Spot Glass Media, Jennifer Calvert has been promoted to senior editor.
At the Grove Atlantic, Rachael Richardson has been promoted to social media manager and marketing associate.
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DULY NOTED
Author Mark Manson has launched his own self-help AI tool, called Purpose. A release states, “The platform’s advanced AI architecture, rich memory systems, and evidence-backed psychological frameworks deliver rapid personalized insights about users’ core values and behavioral patterns. Every interaction adapts to the user’s unique circumstances and communication style, delivering directional feedback optimized for personal growth rather than generic validation or one-size-fits-all advice,”.
The Hachette Book Group’s Raising Readers Initiative, the company is including a page explaining the benefits of reading to children in the back of more than 6 million books. They will begin including the page in kids books in 2026 and by the end of next year in more than 25 million copies of more than 3,000 titles. Authors can opt in or out to having the page included in their books.
In honor of Hachette Livre’s 200th anniversary, HBG and Hachette UK will invest $200,000 in the Raising Readers program, which will include providing classroom libraries to underfunded schools, launching Little Free Libraries in book deserts, and hosting 200 author visits to schools.
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EVENTS
December 13–21
International Istanbul Book Fair (TÜYAP)
Istanbul, Turkey
December 19th-21st
Chicago, IL
December 17th
Bronx, NY
Jan 26th- Feb 3rd
Kolkata International Book Fair
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Every week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.
Netflix Book Adaptations Drive Billions of Views
Supreme Court Dismisses Book Ban Case
Best Books of 2025 Across Lists
Kindle Offers DRM-Free E-Books in PDF
Agent Mark Tavani Shares Publishing Insights
Every week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.
Waterstones Bookstore & Its Use of AI
The Top Bookish Pet Names of 2025
How Print Books Have Prevailed
Spotify Wrapped: Audio Books Edition
Amazon Price Swings Heavily Affecting School Budgets
EXTRA: Jane Austen & The Romance Blueprint
