People Round-Up, Early January 2016

PEOPLE

Kara Welsh will join Ballantine Bantam Dell as EVP, Publisher in mid-January. She was previously SVP, Publisher at Berkley Publishing Group. Mark Tavani will become VP, Executive Editor at Putnam in February. He was previously Editorial Director, Fiction at Ballantine.

Tara Parsons joined Touchstone as Editor-in-Chief. She was previously Editorial Director of fiction at Amazon Publishing.

Claire Wachtel left her position as VP, Executive Editor at HarperCollins.

Caroline Pincus resigned her position as Associate Publisher at Red Wheel/Weiser after 10 years with the company. She can be reached at cpincus@sbcglobal.net.

Adam Kowit is now Executive Editor at America’s Test Kitchen. He was Senior Editor in the culinary division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Fay Rosenfeld will become VP, Public Programs at the New York Public Library in mid-January. She was Senior Director of Programs and COO of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institution at Hunter College.

Nicholas Sinisi joined Diamond Book Distributors as Sales Manager. He was previously Independent Store Sales Manager, Publisher Services and Development Manager at Midpoint Trade Books.

John JD Wilson will join Northwestern University Press as Director of Sales and Marketing in mid-January.

Additionally at Penguin Random House, Kristen Schulz is now Library Coordinator at Random House Children’s Books. Sarah Grimm joined Crown as Publicist. She was previously Associate Publicist for Putnam.

Marlena Brown joined Picador as Publicist. She was previously at Oxford University Press.

At literary agencies, Elizabeth Evans has left her position as Agent at the Jean V. Naggar Agency to launch Elizabeth Evans Editorial, which will provide freelance editorial and publishing consulting services. . . MacKenzie Fraser-Bub joined Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. She was previously Agent at Trident Media Group. . . Amy Rosenbaum joined the Nancy Yost Literary Agency as Rights Manager. She was previously at Folio Literary Management.

Caroline Davidson is now Publicist at JKS Communications. She was previously Marketing Director at Turner Publishing.

Deborah Broide is now consulting as Media Relations/PR and Publicity Director at Founder and Former CEO of America’s Test Kitchens Christopher Kimball’s unnamed new company.

Miriam Markowitz retired from her position as Deputy Literary Editor at The Nation after seven years.

PROMOTIONS

Renee Sedliar was promoted to Editorial Director of Da Capo Lifelong Books.

At Penguin Random House, Andrew Rein was promoted to Sales Director, Mass Merchandise National Accounts and Jamie Knapp to Assistant Director of Publicity at Dutton. Random House promoted Sanyu Dillon, Susan Kamil, Scott Shannon, and Theresa Zoro to EVPs. Alyssa Awe is now VP, Strategic Operations and Projects for PRH.

Kobo promoted Pieter Swinkels to EVP, Publisher Relations and Content and Dave Anderson to EVP, Content Sales.

Barnes & Noble promoted Sarah Dickman to Senior Manager of Business Operations for its self-publishing platform Nook Press.

Farrar Straus Giroux promoted Emily Bell to Senior Editor and FSG Books for Young Readers promoted Janine O’Malley to Executive Editor.

Scholastic promoted Saraciea Fennell to Publicist and Brooke Shearouse to Publicity Coordinator.