People Round-Up, Mid-July 2019

PEOPLE

At the end of August, Baker & Taylor President David Cully will retire. He joined the company in 2008 and became president in 2017. Amandeep Kochar has been named Executive Vice President and will lead the business going forward.

At Audible, Louise Quayle, formerly Senior Acquisitions Editor at Penguin Random House Audio, joins as Director of Acquisitions & Content Partnerships.

At Crown, Paul Whitlatch joins as Executive Editor; he was most recently Executive Editor at Hachette Book Group. Matthew Benjamin joins Harmony and Rodale Books as Executive Editor, having previously held that title at Atria. In the WaterBrook Multnomah/Convergent group: Keren Baltzer, formerly Senior Acquisitions Editor at FaithWords, joins Convergent as Editorial Director. Becky Nesbitt, lately VP, Editor-in-Chief of Howard Books, joins as Executive Editor, acquiring for WaterBrook. Paul Pastor joins as Editor for WaterBrook Multnomah. Porscha Burke moves over from her position as Publishing Manager at Random House to become Senior Editor, Publishing Manager, Christian Projects. At Vintage Anchor, Kate Runde has departed her position as Director of Publicity to relocate with her family to Boston. Cathy Bobak joins Random House Children’s as Designer and Stacey Sundar joins as Creative Services Administrator. Other recent hires include Kate Glider, Associate Manager of Product Development; Jenn Inzetta, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing; and Kristopher Kam, Senior Publicist, formerly Publicist at HarperCollins Children’s Books. Natalie Church joins Dutton and Plume as Assistant Marketing Manager, moving over from her previous role as Marketing Associate at Knopf and Pantheon.

Sally Marvin has joined the Gallery Publishing Group as VP, Director of Publicity. Previously she was Director of Events and Event Partnerships at Random House. Jennifer Robinson, who had been managing the publicity department, will assume the position of VP, Executive Publicist. Deputy Director of Publicity Jean Anne Rose will depart on August 15, continuing to work with the company on a freelance basis. Zoey Cole has joined Scribner as Associate Marketing Manager; she was previously Bookseller and Events Assistant at Books Are Magic.

Shreve Williams Public Relations managing director Nicole Dewey has left the company to launch her own book publicity and marketing company, Dewey Decimal Media. Shreve Williams is formally pairing with Betsy DeJesu and Deb Shapiro as associate publicists; both run independent publicity firms.

Christopher Sergio joins Holt as VP, Group Creative Director, starting August 19. He was previously VP, Art Director at Penguin Random House. Caitlin O’Shaughnessy also joins as Director of Brand Strategy; previously she had been Associate Director of Marketing at Penguin Press. Felipe Silva, formerly Associate Director of Sales at Penguin Random House, joins Macmillan as International Sales Manager. Additionally, Adam Bellow, Editorial Director of conservative imprint All Points Books, will resign at the end of 2019. All Points will no longer acquire new books and will publish existing titles through August 2020. Associate Editor Pronoy Sarkar and Assistant Editor Kevin Reilly will continue working at St. Martin’s.

At Scholastic Trade, Tracy van Straaten, VP, Trade Communications, Publicity, and Educational Marketing, has left to return to Chicago and launch TvS Media Group. Joining the company are Elliane Mellet, Junior Designer, Licensing, formerly Design Assistant at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Brian Larossa, Art Director for Acorn, Branches, and nonfiction picture books, formerly Design Director at Scholastic Education; Katie Heit, Editor, Picture Books, formerly Assistant Editor at Greenwillow Books; and Rae Crawford, Junior Designer, Orchard and Cartwheel Books.

In other children’s book news, at Simon & Schuster Children’s, Kendra Levin, formerly Editorial Director at Penguin Young Readers, joins as Editorial Director on September 1. At HMH Children’s, Julie Yeater joins as Assistant Director of Marketing, having worked previously as Senior Marketing Manager at HarperCollins Children’s Books. Zoe Del Mar, lately Director of Marketing at Norwood House, joins as Senior Marketing Manager.

At Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Andrea Colvin, lately VP and Editor-in-Chief at Lion Forge, joins as Editorial Director of Graphic Publishing.

Rick DeMonico, formerly Senior Art Director for Licensed Publishing at Scholastic, joins Albert Whitman & Company as Art Director.

Sue Cole has been named Production Director at Boyd Mills & Kane. Most recently, she was Director of Publishing Production at Highlights for Children.

Nancy Ellwood has joined Arcadia Publishing as Publishing Director of its newly-announced children’s publishing program. She was previously Editorial Director at DK. Also joining the company are Shane Hennigan, Sales Specialist, and Ashley Hill and Hayley Behal, Production Editor, The History Press. Katelyn Jenkins returns to Arcadia as Acquisitions Editor. She had spent the last several years teaching English and Spanish in the Durham area.

At Sasquatch Books, Gary Luke, Publisher, will retire on August 1. He will be succeeded in managing the adult publishing program by Jennifer Worick, Editorial Director, while Jenny Abrami will oversee the Little Bigfoot children’s imprint.

Paul W. Morris, VP of Programming and Outreach for the Authors Guild since 2016, is leaving that organization to expand his role at literary nonprofit House of SpeakEasy, where he will become Executive Director.

At Serial Box, Hayley Wagreich, previously Editor at Alloy Entertainment, joins as Head of Content and Rhoda Belleza, previously Editor at Lonely Planet, joins as VP, Content Development.

With the sale of F+W book assets to Penguin Random House, Heidi Sachner has left her position as VP of Books at F+W Media. Sachner will be working with the Penguin Publishing Group on a consulting basis to assist with the integration through the end of the year and can be reached at hsachner@optonline.net. Additionally, Guy LeCharles Gonzalez departed his position as Publisher of Writer’s Digest and Marketing Director for F+W Media and has launched Free Verse Media, a strategic marketing consultancy.

John McKay joins the Association of American Publishers as SVP, Communications. Most recently he was Executive Officer, Corporate Communications, Marketing and Branding for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

At the American Booksellers Association, CFO Robyn DesHotel is leaving her position in August to relocate to Minneapolis. An interim CFO is being sought to serve through February 2020, when the new CEO can oversee a permanent selection.

Maris Kreizman has been named Contributing Editor for Books and Culture at Pacific Standard. She was most recently Editorial Director of Book of the Month.

At Algonquin, Randall Lotowycz, formerly Sales Director across all Workman imprints, joins as Director of Marketing and Sales. At Workman, Christian Westermann joins as Assistant Manager, Trade Sales and Retail Marketing. He had previously worked as Sales and Marketing Manager at Europa Editions. Additionally, Margot Herrera has transitioned to freelance from her position as Senior Editor at Workman.

Jessica Gilo joins the Monacelli Group, which includes Monacelli Press and Monacelli Studio, as Marketing and Publicity Director. She had been Assistant Marketing Director, Culinary & Lifestyle, at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Antonio Cerna joins the newly-formed Levine Querido as Marketing Director. He was previously Marketing Director at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

At LSC Communications, Kate Hutchison has departed her position as Director of Business Development and Strategy. She can be reached at bookishkatenyc@gmail.com.

Sarah Russo is leaving her role as Global Head of Audience Engagement, Publicity, and Social Media at Oxford University Press to reestablish Sarah Russo Public Relations.

Julie Schulz has joined Ingram Content Group as Director of IT, having previously held that title at LKQ Corporation.

At Bookazine, Josh Harwood, previously Direction of National Accounts at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, joins as Northeast Sales Director.

In agency news…Jennifer Weis joins the Ross Yoon Agency as Senior Literary Agent, moving over from her previous role as Executive Editor at St. Martin’s. Charlotte Wenger joins Prospect Agency as Agent; she was previously Editor at Page Street Kids. Cate Hart joins Harvey Klinger as Agent, focusing on middle grade, young adult, and women’s contemporary and historical fiction. Most recently she worked as Rights Director and Agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. At Waxman Literary Agency, Susan Canavan joins as Literary Agent; she had been Senior Executive Editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. And at Gold Leaf Literary, Joanne O’Sullivan joins as Media Outreach Specialist.

At Chronicle Books, Kate Herman joins as Senior Sales Manager. She was previously Director of Key Accounts & New Business at Galison. Natalie Nicolson, formerly Publicist at Lonely Planet, joins as Marketing Manager for Entertainment. Jamil Zaidi joins as Trade Sales Representative, Pacific Northwest, a position he previously held at Chickman Associates.

At Grove Atlantic, Nick Stewart joins as Digital Marketing Manager. He had been Marketing Manager at Penguin Random House.

Chad Felix joins Two Lines Press as Sales and Marketing Manager. He had been Digital Marketing Manager at Grove Atlantic.

Thomas Weaver joins MIT Press as Senior Acquisitions Editor for Art and Architecture, beginning in September. He was formerly Editor of Architecture New York (ANY) and succeeds Roger Conover.

At Seal Press, Emi Ikkanda joins as Senior Editor. Most recently she was Senior Editor at Spiegel & Grau.

Ayanna Adams joins the American Psychological Association as Editor, APA Style.

At Graywolf Press, Elizabeth Bryant joins as Publicity Associate.

PROMOTIONS

Len Wiggins moves to Penguin Random House Audio as VP, Audio Finance and Strategy. He was previously Senior Director, Finance and Analysis, at Penguin Random House.

Harlequin has realigned its business into two groups: the Harlequin Trade Publishing Group, responsible for all trade publishing activities, and Harlequin Brand Group, which combines series publishing, brand development, and Carina Press. As a result, Loriana Sacilotto has become EVP and Publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing. Reporting to her are Margaret Marbury, VP, Editorial; Heather Connor, VP, Publicity & Trade Communications; Bess Braswell, Publishing Director of Inkyard Press; and a newly-created position of Associate Publisher, Adult Imprints, for which the company is recruiting. Brent Lewis has become EVP and Publisher, Harlequin Brand Group. Reporting to him are Dianne Moggy, VP, Editorial; Merjane Schoueri, VP, Marketing; Heather Allen, Senior Director, DTC; and Marianna Ricciuto, Director of Digital Sales.

Additionally, Jessica Williams is now Executive Editor for the William Morrow Group. Sabrina Abhalle moves up to become Marketing Manager for Teen Marketing at HarperCollins Children’s Books. At HarperCollins Publishers, Michael Maher becomes Manager of Digital Operations.

At Macmillan Children’s, Allison Verost is now SVP, Deputy Publisher, while Molly Ellis has become Executive Editor of Publicity and Mariel Dawson has become Executive Director of Advertising and Promotion. At St. Martin’s Press, Marc Resnick becomes VP and Executive Editor. Vicki Lame has been promoted to Senior Editor at St. Martin’s and Wednesday Books.

At Penguin Young Readers, Shanta Newlin has moved up to become VP, Executive Director, Publicity and Corporate Communications. Felicity Vallence has been promoted to Associate Director of Digital Marketing, while at Random House Children’s Kristina Forrest becomes Assistant Manager, Subsidiary Rights, Joshua Redlich becomes Senior Publicist, and Sydney Tillman becomes Publicist. Angie Venezia has been promoted to Associate Director of Publicity at Vintage Anchor, and Julie Ertl moves up to Publicity Manager. Melissa Esner has been promoted to Associate Marketing Director for Crown and Hogarth, while Rachel Aldrich becomes Marketing Manager for the same and Katie Tull becomes Assistant Marketing Manager for Random House, Dial, Modern Library, and One World. Chloe Aryeh has been promoted to Marketing Manager for the Clarkson Potter, Ten Speed, and WaterBrook Multnomah gift programs. At Viking/Penguin, Brianna Linden is now Senior Publicist and Sara Leonard is now Associate Publicist. Emily Reardon has been promoted to Associate Publicist at Knopf. At Delacorte, Kelsey Horton becomes Editor; Monica Jean and Audrey Ingerson become Associate Editors; and Alexandra Hightower becomes Assistant Editor.

Lizette Serrano has been promoted to VP of Educational Marketing and Conventions at Scholastic Trade. Emily Heddleson is now Associate Director of Educational Marketing and Conventions. Doan Buu becomes Senior Designer for Orchard and Cartwheel Books, while Megan Peace becomes Editor for Pilkey Publishing and Graphix and Edward Quiceno becomes Assistant Manager, Retail Marketing for Klutz.

John Byrd has been named President and CFO at Cinco Puntos Press. Jessica Powers becomes Editorial and Foreign Rights Director.

At Princeton University Press, Fred Appel has become Publisher, Religion and Anthropology. Other promotions include that of Julia Haav to Global Promotions Director; James Schneider, Promotions Manager; Ben Tate, Senior Editor, Humanities; Susannah Shoemaker, Editor, Mathematics and Engineering; Matt Rohal, Associate Editor; and Charlie Allen and Jacqueline Delaney, Editorial Associates.

At InterVarsity Press, Justin Paul Lawrence has been promoted to Senior Director of Sales and Marketing; Andrew Bronson, to Director of Marketing; Marsha Barnish, to Associate Director of Sales; Helen Lee, to Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships; Alisse Wissman, to Associate Director of Publicity; and Christina Gilliland, to Marketing Manager.

Sarah Gelman has been named Editorial Director of Amazon Books, in addition to her existing position as Director of Public Relations.

At Ingram Content Group, Margaret Harrison has been promoted to Director of Content Solutions. Leigh Ann Kurtz moves up to Business Operations Manager, Sarah Rosenberg moves up to Senior Manager for Client Relations, and Amanda Sharp moves up to Key Account Sales Manager. On the library services field team, Thomas Graziosi has been promoted to Senior Sales Representative. At IngramSpark, Justine Marie Bylo has been promoted to Author Acquisitions Manager. Adrienne Mayard is now Senior Manager of Operations and Administration at Publishers Group West, while Deon McAdoo moves up to become Content Acquisitions Sales Specialist at Ingram Content Group and Publishers Group West.

Nicole Caputo has been promoted to Creative Director, Catapult and Counterpoint Press. Dory Athey is now Marketing and Special Sales Manager at Counterpoint Press/Catapult/Soft Skull, where Alisha Gorder has been promoted to Senior Publicist.

Lauren Moseley is now Associate Director of Marketing for Algonquin.

In agency news…Marco Palmieri has been promoted to VP, Content Development at Alloy Entertainment. At the Jane Rotrosen Agency, Sabrina Prestia has been promoted to Subsidiary Rights Director and Hannah Rody-Wright becomes Subsidiary Rights Associate.

Pamela Schechter has been promoted to Executive Director of Publishing and Production at The Experiment, while Nicholas Cizek becomes Executive Editor and Ashley Yepsen has been promoted to Publicist.

At Callisto Media, Pippa White has been promoted to Executive Editor and will lead a team of editors working on lifestyle books.

Laura Pitts has been promoted to Lead Accounts Receivable Specialist at Sourcebooks, where Susan Raasch has also been promoted to Manager of Royalties and Receivables.

Claire Fletcher has been promoted to Senior Manager Editor, Children’s at Chronicle Books. Victoria Chao is now Project Manager, Olivia Roberts has been promoted to Assistant Entertainment Editor, and Eden Sugay is now Associate Marketing Manager, Events and Retail Marketing.

At Soho Press, Amara Hoshijo has been promoted to Editor and Rights Manager.

Meagan Szekely is now Digital Marketing and Database Manager for the Naval Institute Press.

At Bloomsbury, Callie Garnett has been promoted to Editor.

Remy Cawley is now Associate Editor at Bold Type Books.

At Crooked Lane Books, Jenny Chen has been promoted to Associate Editor.

Monica Rogers is now Assistant Editor at John Wiley & Sons.

At Ulysses Press, Ashten Evans joins as Assistant Editor; she had been Editorial Assistant at Sterling Publishing.

Michelle Betters becomes Assistant Publicist at Beacon Press, while Jennifer Canela moves up to become Sales Development Coordinator and Emily Powers becomes Marketing Manager.

DULY NOTED

In distribution news: Chronicle Books will distribute Levine Querido’s books throughout North America and in select export territories beginning with the Fall 2020 launch season. Simon & Schuster now distributes Timbuktu Labs in the US and Canada. Beginning January 1, 2020, it will also distribute Ulysses Press worldwide. The press was previously distributed by Publishers Group West. Casemate now distributes Mortons Books and its imprints – Gresley Books, Gallantry Books, Tempest Books, Banovallum Books, and Timespan – in North America. And Workman will distribute Familius worldwide, excluding Canada, beginning October 28, a deal which includes Future House and Protégé Publishing.

The University of Chicago Press has added three new marketing and distribution partners, to be distributed by the Chicago Distribution Center throughout the world: CavanKerry Press, Dalton Watson Fine Books, and the American Institute of Musicology. The University of Chicago Press will also handle marketing and sales representation for CavanKerry and Dalton Watson.

Lerner Publishing Group is taking over all processing, warehousing, fulfillment, billing, customer service, and credit and collection for Zest Books. Distribution has been handled by the Quarto Group.

The assets of Prometheus Books have been acquired by Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group.

Seven Stories Press now serves as exclusive agent for the literary estate of Nelson Algren and handles all rights in the media. Algren had been represented by the now-defunct Donadio & Olson, which recently licensed audio rights to ten books to Blackstone Audio.

John Wiley & Sons will acquire Zyante, a provider of computer science and STEM education courseware.

Rachel Hecht Children’s Scouting has been appointed as US scout for Grupo Anaya in Spain.

Gregory Henry is launching Gregory Henry Literary, a full-service book publicity company specializing in literary fiction, books by women of color, and LGBT+ authors. He can be contacted at geehenry@hotmail.com.