People Round-Up, Early February 2020

PEOPLE

Reagan Arthur, lately SVP and Publisher at Little, Brown, has been named EVP and Publisher of Knopf, Pantheon, and Schocken. She replaces the late Sonny Mehta, who died on December 30th. Arthur will report to Maya Mavjee, who is rejoining the company as President and Publisher for the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Mavjee had been President of Publishing Strategy at Macmillan. Iria Álvarez joins Penguin Random House’s global strategy and corporate development group as Director. She was previously Director of Online Business Development & Data Analytics for Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial. Lea Stöger, who had worked previously with other Bertelsmann companies abroad, has been named Associate, Global Strategy & Corporate Development.

In other PRH news, Elena Hershey joins Doubleday as Assistant Director of Publicity, moving over from her previous position as Publicity Manager at Putnam, while Tricia Cave, most recently Senior Publicist at Flatiron Books, also joins the imprint. Daniela Ayuso, presently Content Marketing Coordinator elsewhere in Penguin Random House, will join as Assistant Manager, Digital Marketing in March. At TarcherPerigee, Alex Casement, formerly Publicity Assistant at St. Martin’s Press, joins as Associate Publicist.

At Macmillan’s Flatiron Books, Zachary Wagman, previously Executive Editor at HarperCollins’ Ecco, joins as VP, Editorial Director. Rachel Taylor, formerly Marketing and Publicity Coordinator at Yen Press, joins Tor as Marketing Manager. Katie Hartman, formerly Special Markets Sales Manager at HarperCollins, joins Daniela Plunkett

Macmillan as Field Sales Account Manager for Oregon, Washington, and Utah, while Daniela Plunkett, formerly Telesales Representative at Simon & Schuster, joins as Edelweiss Manager.

Kim Gray, formerly VP, Director of Trade Sales and Marketing at Reader’s Digest, has joined Simon & Schuster in the newly-created position of VP of Distribution Client Sales. At Scribner, Brianna Yamashita joins as Senior Marketing Director, effective February 19. She had been Marketing Director at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Following a restructuring of Kodansha’s American subsidiaries, Alvin Lu, lately General Manager of Kodansha Advanced Media, has been named President and CEO of Kodansha USA Publishing. As part of the restructuring, Takashi Sakuda has been named COO and Kiichiro Sugawara has been named Publisher. Ivan Salazar, formerly PR and Events Specialist at Comixology, joins as Senior Marketing Director.

At HarperCollins, David Heydt, formerly of People TV, joins as Senior Director of Video and Group Executive Producer. Geoff Shandler, who launched the Custom House imprint in 2015, has left his position as Editorial Director to pursue other opportunities. Replacing him will be Peter Hubbard as VP, Editorial Director of the imprint and Kate Nintzel as Executive Editor.

At ReaderLink, Jeff Nisbet joins as Director of New Business Development. He was formerly VP of Sales at Baker & Taylor. Also joining ReaderLink are Fabian Young, Account Coordinator; Gary Saunders, Supply Planner for Promotions; Nimmi Patel, Co-Op and Billing Coordinator; Jonathan Linderman, Accounts Payable Specialist; and Purvesh Vaghasia, Senior Developer.

Laura Schreiber, lately Senior Editor at Disney-Hyperion, joins Jimmy Patterson Books as Editorial Director. Former Putnam Associate Editor Helen Richard O’Hare joins Mulholland Books as Editor, while Editor Emily Giglierano has left the imprint and can be reached at emilygigs.editorial@gmail.com.

At Charisma House, Kyle Dyncan joins as VP, Content Development. He is also Principal at Scriptorium International.

The novelist Mona Simpson has been named Publisher for The Paris Review.

Otto Penzler has taken sole ownership of The Mysterious Press after nine years of operating as an imprint at Grove Atlantic. MysteriousPress.com Publisher Charles Perry has been named Publisher of Penzler Publishers and will be in charge of all imprints. Luisa Smith, Buying Director at Book Passage, has become Editor-in-Chief of the Scarlet imprint. Jane Friedman and Nat Sobel will serve as consultants.

At Dover, Editor Stephanie Castillo Samoy has left the company as a result of layoffs and can be reached at scastillosamoy@gmail.com.

Walter Biggins, currently Executive Editor at the University of Georgia Press, will become Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pennsylvania Press effective March 23.

Skyhorse Publishing is launching Palomino Press, a new romance imprint. Kathleen Schmidt will serve as Editorial Director while remaining Publicity Director at Skyhorse.

Former Vintage/Anchor Director of Publicity Kate Runde has joined Podium Audio as Director of Acquisitions and Author Relations. Margaret Laney Silver, previously Co-Head, Marketing & Insights for Gunpowder & Sky, joins as Head of Strategic Marketing.

At Clarion Books, Dinah Stevenson, Editor-at-Large, has retired and can be contacted at dinah@dinah217.com.

In agency news…Rosanne Romanello is launching Ro Romanello PR, where she will be Founding Director. She had previously worked as Associate Director, Publicity & Integrated Marketing at HaperCollins Children’s Books. At Verve Talent and Literary Agency, Chris Lupo joins as Book-to-Screen Agent; he was most recently Director of Literary/I.P. at Chernin Entertainment. At Sterling Lord Literstic, former Wylie Agent Jessica Friedman joins as Agent. Kaitlyn Johnson, formerly Associate Literary Agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency, has joined Belcastro Agency as Literary Agent. YA and middle grade author Ashley Herring Blake joins Rees Literary Agency as Agent. Clare Mao, previously Assistant at Janklow & Nesbit, joins Europa Content as Agent.

At Chronicle Books, Christina Garces joins as Editor, Food and Lifestyle.

Ben LeRoy has joined Crooked Lane Books as Senior Acquisitions Editor. He was previously Founder and Publisher of Bleak House Books and Tyrus Books.

At the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Siena Fallon, formerly Operations Manager of Ultimate Comics, joins as Community Development Manager.

At little bee, Terence Campo (formerly Production Manager at Sterling) and Elizabeth Peskin (formerly Production Coordinator at Random House Children’s Books) have both joined as Production Managers.

At Scholastic, Mary Kate Garmire (formerly Development Editor at Oxford University Press) and Jake Snyder (formerly Data Integrity Specialist at SaveAround) have both joined as Production Editors.

Robyn Massey, formerly Founder and Executive Producer at Sayers & Doers, joins Columbia University Press and Columbia Business School Publishing as Publicist. Caitlin Hurst, most recently Associate Publicist at Other Press, joins Columbia University Press as Publicist.

At Magination Press, Monet A. Stevens, previously Marketing Campaign Coordinator at Learning Without Tears (formerly Handwriting Without Tears) joins as Assistant Marketing Manager.

PROMOTIONS

Andrea Walker has been promoted to VP, Executive Editor at Random House. Denise Cronin has become Executive Director of Subsidiary Rights for the entire Random House division, including the Crown imprints previously managed by Lance Fitzgerald. Cindy Murray has been promoted to Senior Publicity Director for Christian Publishing and Forum, while Jordan Pace and Erin Richards each become Associate Publicist. At Random House Children’s Books, Tracy Tyler becomes Senior Executive Art Director; Roberta Ludlow becomes Executive Art Director; April Ward and Nicole de las Heras become Senior Art Directors; Jinna Shin becomes Assistant Art Director; Bob Bianchini becomes Senior Designer; and Alison Kolani becomes Executive Director of Copy Editing. Matthew Romano is now Senior Sales Manager for New Business Development at DK. Kate Renner has been promoted to Assistant Art Director at Penguin Young Readers/Viking Children’s Books. At Doubleday, Michael Goldsmith becomes Director of Publicity and Hannah Engler becomes Marketing Associate. At Putnam, Gabriella Mongelli is now Associate Editor.

At Celadon Books, Ryan Doherty becomes VP, Executive Editor and Randi Kramer becomes Assistant Editor. Beth Clark has been named VP and Senior Creative Director of FSG Books for Young Readers, Roaring Brook Press, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, Feiwel & Friends, Swoon Reads, and Square Fish. At Macmillan, Kara Warschausky has become Associate Marketing Manager on the field sales team. At St. Martin’s Press, Meghan Harrington is now Publicist and Clare Mauer is now Associate Publicist, while Hannah O’Grady becomes Associate Editor and Sarah Grill becomes Assistant Editor. Saraciea Fennell is now Publicity Manager at Tom Doherty Associates.

Megan Fishmann has been promoted to VP of Publicity and Associate Publisher at Catapult/Counterpoint Press/Soft Skull.

At Kensington, Jackie Dinas is now Associate Publisher.

Theresa Collier has been promoted to Assistant Director of Publicity and Marketing at Artisan Books.

At Advantage/ForbesBooks, Patti Boysen is now Chief Publishing Officer.

In agency news…Stacey Kondla becomes Agent at The Rights Factory. Roseanne Wells becomes Agent at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency.

At the New York Public Library, Emily Pullen has been promoted to Reader Services Coordinator.

Rachel Hiles becomes Senior Editor for Food and Lifestyle at Chronicle Books. Dena Rayess is now Assistant Editor.

At Ecco, Sara Birmingham has been promoted to Associate Editor. Sydney Rogers has been promoted to Editor at HarperOne.

At Scholastic, Shannon Pender is now YA Marketing Associate and Caroline Noll is now Sales Coordinator for National Accounts.

Veronica Hernandez has been promoted to Co-Op and Billing Specialist at ReaderLink.

DULY NOTED

Phaidon has acquired the Monacelli Press, which will continue as a separate imprint and brand. All staff will relocate to Phaidon’s New York City office.

In sales and distribution news: Albert Whitman & Company has brought its sales and distribution operations back in-house and will no longer be distributed by IPG. At the same time, Baker & Taylor Publisher Services has entered a full-service, international-only agreement with Albert Whitman to select markets. The Independent Publishers Group has signed a backlist distribution agreement with Sports Illustrated, including the Sports Illustrated and Sports Illustrated Kids imprints and their series. The University of Chicago Press now handles marketing and distribution of the University of British Columbia Press titles in the US. In May, Publishers Group West will sell and distribute Restless Books in the US, Canada, and international territories. Effective July 1, W.W. Norton will begin sales and distribution for Abbeville Press; beginning in 2021, it will begin distribution of the newly-independent Mysterious Press.

Skyhorse Publishing has acquired the rights to publish books under the World Almanac name, beginning with The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2021 in November 2020. New books under that name will be available exclusively from Skyhorse.

Emily Books is shutting down after its final title publishes on March 3. Coffee House Press will continue to publish titles on which the two had partnered, and titles stocked by Emily Books alone will remain for sale. Ebooks purchased from their store will remain active and available.