People Roundup, November 2013

PEOPLE

Scribner President Susan Moldow announced that Stacy Creamer, VP and Publisher of Touchstone, will be leaving the company and that Moldow would serve as Interim Publisher.

Yale University Press announced that it has appointed Benjamin Schwarz as Consulting Editor, based in LA, where he will acquire books in the areas of history, biography, and cultural affairs. Previously, Schwarz was the Literary and National Editor for the Atlantic.

Larry Kirshbaum will leave his position as Publisher of Amazon‘s US trade publishing imprints on January 17, and will return to life as a literary agent. Daphne Durham has been named Publisher, Adult Trade and Children’s Books, at Amazon; she was previously Publishing Editor in Chief. According to Publishers Lunch, a few editors have left Amazon’s various imprints during 2013, with the departures of Tim Ditlow, Eleni Caminis (for Samsung), David Moldawer (for an education company), and Liz Egan (for Glamour Magazine), and Editorial Director of Amazon Publishing in New York Julia Cheiffetz currently out on maternity leave. But Amazon Publishing’s website still lists 27 editors from across the company’s sprawl of imprints.

Mary Ann Zissimos has joined Disney Publishing Worldwide as Publicity Manager. She formerly worked at HarperCollins, Abrams, Penguin, and Random House.

Former Crown Deputy Publisher Michael Palgon has joined Open Road as SVP, Distribution & Business Development. He will lead their distribution arm and will also “build new editorial verticals including religion and business.” Also at Open Road, Charlotte Greig has been named Strategic Advisor for Acquisitions. She was previously Editor at Picador UK. Laura Ferguson will join as Open Road as VP, Special Markets. Previously, she was Director of Premium, Corporate and Customer Driven Publishing at S&S.

Mobifusion has hired Michelle Lewy as Director of Publisher Accounts, based in New York. Most recently, she was Director of Digital Media Services at Baker and Taylor.

Blaise Base has been named Associate Director of Online Marketing at HarperCollins. He had been Consumer and Social Media Marketing Manager at Manning Publications.

Longtime Reed Exhibitions Executive with oversight for BEA, SVP Courtney Muller has resigned from her position. BEA has been under the supervision of Greg Topalian, a former BEA Show Director.

Simon & Schuster Children’s is planning a new sci-fi, fantasy and horror imprint for “YA and above.” Justin Chanda will be Publisher, and Joe Monti has moved from the Barry Goldblatt Literary Agency to become Executive Editor. Navah Wolfe moving over to work as Editor for the new line. Meanwhile, Dana Trocker has joined S & S as Associate Marketing Manager. Previously, she was Speaker Relations Coordinator at Macmillan Speakers Bureau.

St. Martin’s publisher at large Dan Weiss has resigned after 4 years with the company. He can be reached at dweissco@gmail.com. Weiss will focus on consulting, strategic investment and philanthropy.

Jeff Alexander has joined The Penguin Press as a Senior Editor. Previously he was an Editor at Vintage/Anchor.

Kathy Daneman has joined the Portfolio, Sentinel, and Current imprints as Publicity Director. She spent the past seven years at FSG, where most recently she was Assistant Director of Publicity. She also founded FSG’s online reading community, Book Keeping.

Dan Gerstle has joined Basic Books as Associate Editor. Previously he was Assistant Editor at FSG.

Emily Keyes has joined Foreword Literary as an Agent. Previously she was an Agent at the L. Perkins Agency.

PROMOTIONS

Suzanne Herz, Senior Vice President, Publishing, Doubleday, is being named Executive Vice President, Executive Director of Publishing, Doubleday.

Associate publisher of Thomas Dunne Books, Pete Wolverton has taken on the additional title of Editor in Chief.

Macmillan Publishers also announced that it was expanding its in-house film and TV efforts by forming Macmillan Entertainment. Brendan Deneen, who has been an Editor for the past three years at Thomas Dunne Books, will head up the new division.

At S&S Children’s, Siena Koncsol has been promoted to Publicist.

Samantha Edelson has been promoted to Marketing Manager for Macmillan Audio.

At Penguin Children’s, Shanta Newlin has been promoted to Executive Director of Publicity. She will continue to oversee all publicity efforts for the division, and will also focus on communications and long-term PR strategy.