PEOPLE
As announced previously, Bill Shinker will join Penguin Putnam as SVP and Publisher of an as yet unnamed imprint, on Sept. 4. He was most recently at Free Press, where he had been Publisher from August 2000 to his resignation at the beginning of April.
Ken Wright, formerly at Holt Reference, has been named Editorial Director, Scholastic Reference replacing Wendy Barish, who has retired. Other Scholastic appointments: Spencer Humphrey, who joined Scholastic when they acquired the Barney publishing program, has been named VP, Director of Mass merchandise product reporting to Jean Feiwel. Ellie Berger, in addition to her current role as Book Group Cross Divisional Director, adds the title VP, Deputy Publisher, directing all licensing and media business relationships and product development in these areas. And Bernette Ford, founder and editorial director of Cartwheel, is branching out to develop an imprint of African American and Latino titles for the very young as Editorial Director of Special Projects.
In Norton’s publicity department, Marian Brown is filling in for Louise Brockett, who is on maternity leave until September. . . Patrick Reilly, the one-time publishing reporter at the WSJ, and subsequently at the pr megapower Robinson, Lehrer, Montgomery, has gone to Bertelsmann to work for Andreas Schmidt, head of ecommerce; meanwhile Kevin Goldman, also once at the WSJ, and subsequently SVP Communications for WalkerDigital, has gone to Bookspan as VP Communications. He will work out of the 1271 Ave. of Americas office, and report to Bill Gatti, SVP Human Resources. Speaking of WSJ, Dominick V. Anfuso has been named vice president, editorial director of the Free Press, S&S Source and Wall St. Journal Books, reporting to Martha Levin.
Dorchester has announced that George Sosson is the new President and Publisher, following Lisa Rasmussen’s departure earlier in the month. She may be reached at 917 886-2561. . . Thea Feldman, GVP and General Manager of the books division at Sesame Workshop, has left the company. She may be reached at 212 989-5330. . . And S&S’s Children’s Publishing has announced that in restructuring its paperback division, positions held by Nancy Pines, and by Ingrid van der Leeden, have been eliminated. Ellen Krieger has been promoted to the newly created position of VP Associate Publisher of paperback books, and will oversee Aladdin and Pulse. She will report to v-p and publisher Brenda Bowen. According to Kristina Peterson, President of the children’s publishing division, new editorial and marketing positions will be announced after ALA.
Speaking of children’s publishing, Willa Perlman has joined the Cheyenne Group, a consulting firm with headquarters in New York. She will work from her Rhode Island home. . . Steve Cohen, most recently CEO of Brainquest.com, is the latest addition to The Popular Group, the company recently launched by Jack Hoeft. Other recent hires include Jane Leventhal and David Lappin . . . Arlene Kriv has been named Director of Publicity and Advertising for Harcourt Trade Books. She was Director of Publicity for Basic Books. . . Rob Grover joins Four Walls Eight Windows as editor. He previously worked in television, and was an Associate Editor at Knopf.
VIRTUAL PEOPLE
Lucinda Karter (in the New York Office) and Nick Webb (in London) have left Rightscenter, though no announcements have been made.
JUNE DATES
Pat Schroeder will be honored by the UJA on June 6th at the Grand Hyatt. Contact Marcy Frank at 212 836-1448.
• The Licensing Show is back in town, June 11–14, at the Javits Center. Golden Books, Scholastic, and Hungry Minds are among those exhibiting. Call 800 331-5706 for more information about the show.
• The ALA Annual Convention is in San Francisco this year, June 14–20.
• Michael Cader’s next Live Lunch in NY on June 20 is a “Legal Lunch,” on the subjects of contracts, electronic licensing, and the complexities of copyright. Trident Media’s Robert Gottlieb and attorneys Ken Norwick (who represents then AAR) and Helene Godin are the speakers. To reserve, email michael@caderbooks.com.
DULY NOTED
Publisher presence at the Premium Incentive show was minimal — which presented a fine opportunity for the smaller ones who were there, such as Trafalgar Square, Kensington, and World Almanac — all of whom said business was booming. A possible indication of the downward trend in business generally, and books specifically, might have been seen at the booth Buyenlarge.com, a poster company run by Paris Pierce — 25% owned by B&N.com. They had been developing a very successful program with BN.com selling classic book jackets as posters or reduced and suitable for framing. This business has now been successfully transformed from one selling art to one selling chocolate. From Harry Potter to To Kill A Mockingbird, you can buy your chocolate bars suitably encased.
PARTIES
May, traditionally a busy pub party month, began with a signing and party at the Madison Avenue Bookstore, thrown by David Godine to honor William Zinsser, not for On Writing Well, but as the author of a book about American songwriters, Easy to Remember. May also marked the first time the UJA honored a German, Thomas Middelhof. The occasion was the annual Steven J. Ross dinner and there was a large crowd, though very few publishers. (The Entertainment, Media & Communications Division hosted this $1000 per ticket event, rather than the Publishing Division, whose tickets go for a relatively modest $600.) Although all the music industry luminaries were there, other than Peter Olson and some Random House execs, no other publishers were present. They’re undoubtedly saving their pennies for the June 6th dinner honoring AAP’s Pat Schroeder.
Otto Penzler and Herman Graf threw a party for his author, Joyce Carol Oates, at the Players Club on May 22. Guests included NY DA Robert Morthenau and wife, Lucinda Franks, Russell Banks, Edmund White, and Gloria Vanderbilt. The same evening DK Publishing and The New York Times celebrated the publication of Campaigns: A Century of Presidential Races, by Ted Widmer and Alan Brinkley, at the Times. And the Janklow & Nesbit Agency launched the BEA with a party at their offices on May 29 for international publishers, from Leonardo Mondadori to Shona Martyn of HC Australia to a substantial Japanese contingent who then got on their planes for Chicago.
MAZELTOV
Congratulations to Three Rivers Press’s Becky Cabaza and Broadway’s Charlie Conrad on the birth of their first child, a boy, Carlos Patrick Conrad on 23rd May.
Congrats also to Norton’s Louise Brockett and husband Mark, on the birth of twin boys John Duley and Thomas Wadsworth on May 25.
