PEOPLE
Jeff Mathews joins Scholastic as EVP, Corporate Development and Investor Relations. Previously he was Managing Partner at Gagnier Communications.
At Timber Press, VP and Publisher Andrew Beckman will retire effective December 16. He will be succeeded by Kathryn Juergens, presently Associate Publisher and Director of Marketing and Publicity.
Jennifer Benka is departing her position as President and Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets in December and will take on a special advisory role. A national search for her replacement will be conducted.
Philip Himberg will retire as Executive Director of MacDowell on December 31.
As Moon Travel Guides combines its acquisitions and editorial departments into a single unit. VP, Editorial Director Kevin McLain is departing the company.
Angela Shanté Johnson has joined IBPA as official Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Consulting Partner for the 2022/23 fiscal year.
At Frontiers, Tom Ciavarella joins as Head of Public Affairs and Advocacy for North America. Most recently he was Strategic Account Manager at the Copyright Clearance Center.
In agency news…at Martin Literary & Media Management, Thomas Hill, Rick Lewis, and Kristen Terrette each join as Literary Manager. Hill was lately Development Editor at John Wiley & Sons and Lewis was formerly Editor-in-Chief at Uproar Books. Laura Di Giovine, previously Senior Publicist at Smith Publicity, joins Page One Media as Publicity Manager. Dana Murphy, previously Literary Agent at The Book Group, joins Trellis Literary Management as Literary Agent. Jennifer Chen Tran joins Folio Literary Management and Folio Junior as Literary Agent; she was most recently Agent at Idea Architects. At Arc Literary Management, Kate Davids, formerly Director of Cultural Intelligence at Gallery, joins as Literary Agent. At Odom Media Management, Leslie Zampetti, formerly Agent at Dunham Literary, joins as Associate Agent. And at Tobias Literary Agency, Associate Agent Maria Rogers is leaving her position to attend law school.
Karyn Marcus joins Grand Central Publishing as Executive Editor. She previously held that title at Gallery Books.
Author Kate Egan joins Pixel + Ink as Executive Editor of IP.
At Bloomsbury, Amber Oliver joins the adult trade team as Senior Editor. She was most recently Editor at Tiny Reparations Books, Dutton, and Plume.
At Random House Children’s Books, Shannon Pender joins as Senior Trade Marketing Manager. She was most recently Marketing Manager at Scholastic. Bessa Zenebework joins as Advertising Manager for Marketing. At Ten Speed Press, Vedika Khanna, formerly Associate Editor at HarperCollins, joins as Senior Editor and Graphic Novel Editor
Katie O’Neel joins Lerner Publishing Group as Client Services Marketing Coordinator.
At Amazon Publishing, Allyson Lord Cullinan, lately Publicity Manager at Penguin Random House, joins as PR Specialist, leading publicity for commercial fiction imprints.
Samantha Sacks joins Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group as Publicist. She was previously Associate Publicist at Sounds True.
At Scribner, Zachary Polendo, lately Associate Publicist at Hachette, joins as Publicist. Lauren Dooley joins as Marketing Manager; she was formerly Assistant Marketing Manager at Bloomsbury.
Saher Siddiqui joins Chronicle Books as Publishing Data Manager. Prilliana McCauley joins as Junior Business Systems Analyst.
At Workman Kids, children’s media consultant Karen Halpenny joins as Senior Editor on the educational resources team. Karen Smith, lately Associate Editor for Knopf Books for Young Readers, joins as Editor. Molly Magnell joins as Designer.
At Chelsea Green, Rebecca Springer joins as Managing Editor. She was previously Managing Editor at HarperCollins. Kirsten Drew joins as Publishing Partnerships Manager. Curtis Case joins as IT Manager.
Emma Peters joins powerHouse Books as Managing Editor and Sophie Nunnally joins as Assistant Managing Editor.
Laura Apperson joins Alcove Press as Editor. Previously she was Editor at Callisto Media.
At Dexterity, Morgan Rickey joins as Editor.
Sara Rodgers, previously Assistant Editor at Lorimer, joins Graydon House as Associate Editor. Senior Editor Jennifer Baker has left Amistad, writing that she was “abruptly informed” that her position was being eliminated.
At People, Book Review Editor Kim Hubbard has left the magazine. Editor Sandra Sobieraj will handle the Books page until a replacement is found.
PROMOTIONS
At Lerner Publishing Group, Rachel Zugschwert has been promoted to EVP of Marketing.
At Insight Editions, Vanessa Lopez is now VP, Co-Publisher and Vicki Jaeger is now VP, Group Managing Editor.
Grace Fujimoto has been promoted to VP, Editor-in-Chief, overseeing the newly-combined acquisitions and editorial department at Moon Travel Guides.
At Princeton University Press, Anne Savarese becomes Publisher. Lingxi Li moves up to Managing Director of PUP China. Maria Whelan becomes Assistant Promotions Director. Felix Summ is now Marketing Designer, while Sydney Bartlett has been promoted to Marketing Coordinator, Ally Lopez has been promoted to Digital Marketing Coordinator, and Steve Stillman has been promoted to Awards and Special Sales and Grassroots Marketing Associate. Hallie Stebbins becomes Senior Editor for Neuroscience and Computer Science Titles, Abigail Johnson moves up to Associate Editor for Physical Sciences Titles, and Chloe Coy becomes Editorial Associate. Larissa Skurka is now Senior Manager of Business Systems Integration. James Schneider is now Senior Promotions Manager and Trade Marketing Strategist, and Jodi Price becomes Promotions Manager. Ceylan Akturk becomes Senior Contracts Manager. Emma Morgan becomes International Rights Manager. David Campbell is now Copy and Marketing Data Manager. Danielle Amatucci is now Production Associate. Additionally, Jorge Cabrera has been promoted to Office Manager.
In other university press news, Susan Garrett becomes Sales Director at the University of North Carolina Press and Kelly Thomas moves up to Advertising and Social Media Manager at the University of Pittsburgh Press.
Giuliana Caranante becomes Director of Marketing and Publicity for the Quarto Group.
Natalie Church moves up to Director of Marketing at Grove Atlantic.
At Timber Press, Katlynn Nicolls becomes Associate Director of Publicity and Brian Ridder becomes Associate Director of Marketing.
In agency news…at WME, Richard Weitz, Partner, and Christian Muirhead, Chief Communications Officer at parent company Endeavor, have been promoted to Co-Chairmen. Current Chairman Lloyd Braun will depart his role at the end of the year.
Effective October 3, Mackenzie Bronk will be National Account Manager for Chains at Hachette Book Group.
At the Harper Group, Sarah Stein is now Executive Editor.
Adam Wilson moves up to Executive Editor at Hyperion Avenue.
At Candlewick Press, Rita Csizmadia has been promoted to Senior Designer, while Alex Robertson becomes Associate Editor and Charlotte Roth becomes Account Manager.
At Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Dorielys Cruz has been promoted to Assistant Editor.
Adam Moody is now Operations Coordinator at Chronicle Books. Carrie Gao moves up to School and Library Marketing Associate.
DULY NOTED
In scouting news: KF Literary Scouting has been appointed US and UK scout for Hungary’s Maxim Konyvkiado. Daniela Schlingmann Literary Scouting will scout for Grupo Planeta in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America (excluding Brazil) in the US market. Baker Literary Scouting has been appointed US scout for Bloomsbury UK.
Baker & Taylor Publisher Services now provides full-service sales and distribution for Brain Tree Games in the US.
Casemate Group now distributes McNidder & Grace in North America, providing marketing, sales, and distribution services.
2 Seas Agency now handles all foreign rights sales for Astra Books for Young Readers.
Loyola Press is launching a new imprint, 4U2B Books & Media, “to help children, parents, educators, and lifelong learners thrive with a sense of place and purpose.” The imprint will publish children’s and select adult titles; the first two titles are children’s books by Maria K. Shriver, to be released in September 2022 and September 2023.
Naomi Huffman and Julia Ringo, both formerly of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, have announced the launch of Hagfish, a literary studio offering editorial consulting services.
Effective yesterday, Popular Book Company is represented in the northern US by Chesapeake & Hudson; in the South by Southern Territory Associates; in the West by Imprint Group; and in the Midwest by Wybel Marketing Group. Order entry and distribution is handled by Faster Direct in southern Ontario.
