People Round-Up, Early March 2019

PEOPLE

Effective March 25, Wibke Grütjen, formerly VP, Digital Marketing at Macmillan, joins Hachette Book Group as SVP, Chief Marketing Officer. In other company news, Samantha Gentry, previously Associate Editor at Crown Books for Young Readers, has joined as Little, Brown Books for Young Readers as Editor.

Following the restructuring of Macmillan’s sales team, Jeff Capshew, VP, Director of Broadway Sales is departing, as are Becky Wik, Key Account Executive for Mass Merchandise, and Jaime Ariza, VP, Special Markets. Capshew can be contacted at jdcapshew@gmail.com.

Erin Simpson has been named Director of the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau; she was previously Agent Director at the Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau. The bureau will be transitioning into an in-house venture as of April 1. Sarah Armour, lately Associate Director of Marketing and Publicity at Storey Publishing, joins Adams Media as Publicity Manager. At Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Amelia Jenkins joins as Production Coordinator. Previously she was Production Assistant at AMACOM Books.

At Ten Speed Press, Kelly Booth joins as Creative Director; she previously held that role at Weldon Owen. Erin Skeen, previously Design Manager at Insight Editions, also joins Ten Speed as Studio Manager. Shaila Muñoz joins Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial as Sales Manager, having worked most recently as Sales Manager for HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Lauren Paley joins DK as Associate Marketing Manager, DK Travel. And at Penguin Random House Audio, Jen Donovan has joined as Acquisitions Editor. She was formerly Assistant Editor at St. Martin’s Press.

At Highlights, Jonathan T. Ackerman joins as Sales Director, beginning March 11. He was most recently VP, Sales and National Accounts Director at Baker & Taylor Publisher Services/Bookmasters.

Kristen Steele is leaving her position as Director of Marketing & Publisher Relations at Baker & Taylor Publisher Services/Bookmasters.

Kelly L. Denson has joined the Association of American Publishers (AAP) as Senior Director of Education Policy and Programs. She was most recently at Discovery Communications.

In agency news…Lucas Alexander Whitley and Factual Management have formally combined to create The Soho Agency, with LAW’s Philippa Milnes-Smith to serve as Managing Director. Daniel Berkowitz has left his position as Digital Director at Writers House to launch a new consultancy, AuthorPop, which will work with authors on “all things digital.”

The New York Review of Books has named two new co-editors to succeed Ian Buruma: Emily Greenhouse, most recently Managing Editor at The New Yorker, and Gabriel Winslow-Yost, most recently Senior Editor at the NYRB itself.

At the Academy of American Poets, Jeffrey Gleaves has joined as Digital Engagement and Content Director. He was formerly Digital Director at The Paris Review.

Trisha Ping, previously Destination Editor, Eastern US at Lonely Planet, joins BookPage as Publisher and Editor-in-Chief.

Megan Harley moves from her previous position as Promotions Manager at Workman to become Marketing Manager at Algonquin Young Readers.

Allison Hinchcliffe, lately Associate Publicist at Atria Books, has joined William Morrow and Dey Street as Publicist.

At Page Street Publishing, Charlotte Lyman joins as Publicist; she was formerly Digital Marketing Specialist at Chelsea Green Publishing.

At Holiday House, Alyssa Higbee has joined as Associate Publicist. Previously she was Sales & Marketing Associate at David R. Godine.

PROMOTIONS

Macmillan has restructured its sales team, resulting in a number of job moves. John Edwards is now VP, Trade and Canada Sales, while Tom Stouras, SVP, Online Digital Sales Operations and Analysis, expands his position to include oversight of the ebooks sales team. Laura Pennock, VP, Adult Mass Merchandise Sales, is now managing the distribution sales team as well. Brian Heller moves up to the new position of VP, Academic, Library, Wholesale & International, and Alice Baker becomes VP, Special Markets, Premium Retail, Retail, Wholesale.

Elsewhere in the company: Serena Jones moves up to become Editor-in-Chief at Henry Holt, the position vacated by Gillian Blake in December. Sara Bershtel becomes SVP, while Maggie Richards becomes VP. Emma Campion has been named Deputy Creative Director at Ten Speed Press. At Putnam, Gabriella Mongelli moves up to Assistant Editor.

Alyson Forbes has been promoted to VP, Executive Director of Marketing Strategy at Hachette Book Group. At Hachette Audio, Kim Sayle becomes VP, Associate Publisher, while Elece Green has been promoted to Producer and Nita Basu become Assistant Manager, Marketing & Publicity. Alex Logan moves up to become Executive Editor of Grand Central Publishing and Forever. At Grand Central, Elizabeth Kulhanek and Morgan Hedden have both been promoted to Associate Editor, while Jordan Rubenstein becomes Publicist and Danielle Egnozzi becomes Marketing Designer. At Forever, Estelle Hallick becomes Manager, Marketing & Publicity, and Monisha Lakhotia becomes Assistant Marketing Manager. At Little, Brown, Katharine Myers has been promoted to Director of Publicity, Lena Khidritskaya Little has been promoted to Associate Director of Publicity, Alyssa Persons becomes Publicist, and Julie Guacci becomes Marketing & Publicity Associate. Also at Little, Brown, Tim Harrington has been promoted Senior Art Director, Lucy Kim moves up to Art Director, Ashley Marudas moves up to Senior Marketing Manager, and Alexandra Hoopes becomes Assistant Editor. At Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Saho Fujii moves up to Senior Art Director and Karina Granda has been promoted to Associate Art Director. Katharine McAnarney becomes Publicity Manager, Nikki Garcia becomes Editor, and Hannah Milton has become Assistant Editor. Betsy Hulsebosch has added the title of Director, Ad and Sales Promotion, Running Press and Black Dog & Leventhal to her existing title of Marketing Director, Black Dog & Leventhal. At Running Press, Britny Brooks is Assistant Editor; Jess Fromm Riordan, Editor; and Dan Cantada, Senior Marketing Designer, Digital Brand Manager. Val Howlett is now Senior Publicity and Marketing Manager, Running Press Kids. At Black Dog & Leventhal, Katie Benezra has been promoted to Associate Design Director and Kara Thornton moves up to Publicity Manager. And at Orbit, Alex Lencicki is now VP, Associate Publisher; Bradley Englert and Priyanka Krishnan are now Senior Editors; Laura Fitzgerald is now Senior Marketing Manager; and Paola Crespo is now Senior Marketing and Publicity Associate.

At Simon & Schuster, Lisa Erwin has been promoted to Director of Production, Adult. Leora Bernstein has been promoted to National Accounts Manager. Alissa Nigro is now Marketing Manager for Aladdin and Simon Pulse.

Tessa Woodward is now Executive Editor at William Morrow/Avon. At HarperOne, Sydney Rogers is now Associate Editor and Kathryn Renz Hamilton is now Senior Editor.

Salma Yaqubi has been promoted to Director of Data Management at Independent Publishers Group.

At Princeton University Press, Meagan Levinson has been promoted to Head of Paperback Publishing and will continue her work as Senior Editor, Sociology.

At Chronicle Books, Lisa Bach has been promoted to Director of Special Sales. Vanessa Navarrete moves up to Sales Manager, Independent Specialty, while Emily Malter is now Sales Coordinator, Independent Specialty. Allison Weiner has been promoted to Art Design Manager and Neil Egan has been promoted to Entertainment Design Manager.

Sydney Jarrad moves up to the position of Content Director at the American Booksellers Association. In addition, Daniel O’Brien has been promoted to Senior Membership Manager.

At Counterpoint Press, Dan Smetanka has been promoted to Editor-in-Chief. He takes over for Jack Shoemaker, who founded the publisher in 1994 and has now become SVP, Founding Editor. Additionally, Kendall Storey is being promoted to Associate Editor and Foreign Rights Manager at Catapult/Counterpoint/Soft Skull Press.

At Milkweed Editions, Joey McGarvey has been promoted to Senior Editor.

Sarah Alpert has become Associate Editor at Algonquin Young Readers.

At Albert Whitman & Company, Jon Westmark is now Editor.

DULY NOTED

Longleaf Services now provides US sales, marketing, and fulfillment services for the University of Manitoba Press. Texas Tech University Press will join as a full-service fulfillment and publishing services client on May 1.

MIT Press has begun handling worldwide sales, marketing, and fulfillment for no place press.

Sheldon Press and Hachette Book Group are partnering on the North American sales and distribution of all printed and digital Sheldon titles, beginning September 2. Currently, Sheldon Press is distributed by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.

Liz Gately now scouts for Harper France.