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.
