International Bestsellers, April 2022

Every month, Publishing Trends runs fiction international bestsellers lists from four territories–France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. This month, our four regular territories are joined by two more: Brazil and Singapore. Those books that have been published in English are listed with their official English-language title. All others are translated as literally as possible from the original. Where applicable, the US publisher is listed after the local publisher, separated by a “/”. The lists are taken from major newspapers or national retailers, which are noted at the bottom of each list.

Download the full list as a PDF here.

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 4/25-4/29

­Red Number 5Every week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.

What are religious publishers doing to create inclusive and diverse lists?

An AI study revealed four times more male protagonists than female in literature from the Gutenberg Project.

Can crime writers ethically depict violence? 

How do blind authors approach writing for sighted readers?

As pandemic growth slowed, Amazon’s sales fell last quarter.

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 4/18-4/22

­Red Number 5Every week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.

Does a ban really sell books?

Who’s putting books in the hands of celebrities?

What should nonfiction authors know about trade publishing?

Where does the responsibility for library ebook curation fall?

Do in-person book fairs have a place in our full-remote era?

People Round-Up, Mid-April 2022

PEOPLE

Paula Amendolara joins Sourcebooks as SVP of Sales. She was most recently VP and Director of Sales, National Accounts at Simon & Schuster. At Sourcebooks Fire, Karen Masnica joins as Associate Director of Marketing & Publicity; she was previously Senior Marketing Manager at Simon & Schuster.

At Diamond Book Distributors, Rich Johnson joins as VP, Sales and Business Development. He was most recently President and Founder of the publishing consultancy Brick Road Media.

Sandy Resnick joins WEBTOON as Head of Rights. He worked previously as Director, Global Affiliated Publishing & Business Development at DC Comics.

Among the executive departures at e-reading startup Legible are Chief Publishing Officer Cameron Drew, Chief Revenue Officer Wai-Ming Yu, Chief Financial Officer Helina Patience, Head of Accessibility Laura Brady, and Chief Technology Officer Adam Zouak. In addition, over a third of employees were laid off, bringing the company from 60 people to 37.

VP, Marketing & Publicity Lauren Hoffman has left her position at Simon & Schuster Children’s.

Ebony LaDelle has left her position as Brand Marketing Director at Penguin Random House and can be contacted through her website.

At Audible, Rhea Lyons joins as Content Acquisitions Director. Most recently she was Agent and Director of Film and Television Rights at HG Literary.

Josh Noem joins Ave Maria Press as Editorial Director. Previously he was Senior Editor at Grotto Network, an initiative from the University of Notre Dame.

At Wayne State University Press, Traci Cothran joins as Sales and Marketing Director. She was formerly Director of K-12 Content Strategy and Development at Gale. Sandra Korn, previously Assistant Editor at Duke University Press, joins as Acquisitions Editor.

In agency news…Karen Murgolo returns to Aevitas Creative Management as Agent. She was previously Editorial Director of Lifestyle & Culinary at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. At WME, Angeline Rodriguez, lately of the UK’s Orbit Books, joins the New York office as Agent.

At Little, Brown, Alex Littlefield, formerly Executive Editor at Mariner Books, will join as Executive Editor on May 16.

Emily Graff joins Harper Group as Senior Editor. She was previously Senior Editor at Simon & Schuster. At Harper Alley, Maddy Price joins as Assistant Designer.

At Sounds True, Sarah Stanton, lately Senior Acquisitions Editor at Shambhala Publications, joins as Senior Editor.

Zakiya Jamal has resigned as Senior Manager of Social Media at Scholastic.

Natalie Weaver joins Springer Nature as Marketing Manager. She was previously Speakers Bureau Associate at HarperCollins Speakers Bureau.

At Transit Books, Theadora Walsh joins as Marketing Manager.

At Westminster John Knox Press, Jose Santana joins as Academic Marketing Manager.

Kathleen Morandini joins Bloomsbury Children’s as Children’s Assistant School and Library Marketing Manager.

 
Read More »

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 4/11-4/15

­Red Number 5Every week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.

Why do we hate spoilers?

Is it time to reimagine the scientific paper?

What do cookbooks offer that the internet can’t?

How is Fox News Books already making its mark?

Will the future be crowdfunded?

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 4/4-4/8

­Red Number 5Every week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.

Why are prisoners kept from reading?

How many more books have been banned or challenged than usual?

Are we past the concept of “girl books” and “boy books” yet?

What lies ahead for an industry plagued by burnout?

Does the Amazon union presage a boom for labor organization?

People Round-Up, Early April 2022

PEOPLE

At Beacon PressGayatri Patnaik has been named Director, effective June 30, following the retirement of longtime director Helen Atwan. Patnaik has worked at Beacon for twenty years, most recently as Publisher.

Avideh Bashirrad joins One World and Dial Press as SVP and Deputy Publisher. She was previously SVP, Deputy Publisher at Random House. Tiffani Ren also joins One World as Marketing Associate. Rachel Rokicki has been named VP and Deputy Publisher of Fiction for Random House and Hogarth. She was most recently VP, Director of Publicity for Hogarth.At Random House Children’s, Katie Halata joins as Director, Library Marketing; most recently, she was Associate Director of School & Library Marketing at Macmillan Children’s. Trisha Previte, lately Associate Designer at Macmillan Children’s, joins the imprint as Designer. Additionally, Tricia Ryzner, previously Paid Media Manager at Darkroom, joins as Manager, Social Media, Paid Promotions; Meredith Wagner, previously Social Media Manager for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, joins as Manager, Social Media, Content & Community; Regina Andreoni, lately Associate Marketing Manager at Portfolio, joins as Associate Manager, Marketing; and Rachel Goldenberg joins as Marketing Coordinator. At Crown, Leah Trouwborst, lately Senior Editor at Simon Element, joins as Senior Editor. At Berkley, Kristin Cipolla, formerly Associate Publicist at HarperCollins, joins as Publicist. Fariza Hawke joins Crown, Currency, and Ten Speed Press as Assistant Editor. Wendy Wong, formerly Associate Editor at Harper Business, joins Ballantine as Associate Editor. Maya Fenter joins Random House Group as Media Associate, leading content strategy for One World and Del Rey. Lane Jantzen, VP, Director of Sales for Penguin Random House Publisher Services, will retire in May.

Changes at various HarperCollins imprints: VP and Editorial Director Tracy Sherrod will depart Amistad after nearly a decade to “pursue a new endeavor.” Jane Beirn will retire as VP, Publicity for Harper on April 22. At Mira, Senior Acquisitions Editor Kathy Sagan and Senior Editor Emily Ohanjanians are departing to pursue freelancing. At William Morrow, Beatrice Jason, formerly Associate Marketing Manager at St. Martin’s Press, joins as Senior Marketing Manager. Sylvan Creekmore joins Avon as Editor; she was previously Editor at St. Martin’s Publishing Group. At HarperColllins Children’s Publishing, Taylan Salvati joins as Publicity Manager; she had been Senior Publicist at Scholastic. Abby Dommert, formerly Editor & Marketing Associate at Thornwillow Press, joins as Associate Publicist. Additionally, Christina Carpino and Josie Dallam both join as Marketing Coordinator, School & Library Marketing. 

At Macmillan, Maggie Cassion joins as VP, Central Marketing. Previously she was Marketing Communications Lead, Munich Re North American Life at Munich Re. At Macmillan Children’s Publishing, Jordin Streeter, lately Associate Marketing Manager at Scholastic, joins as Marketing Manager and Carlee Maurier joins as Marketing Coordinator. Alexandra Hoopes joins St. Martin’s Publishing Group as Social Media Manager; in the past, she was Assistant Editor at The MIT Press. Laura Flavin, formerly Associate Director of Marketing at Simon & Schuster, joins Henry Holt and Company as Director of Marketing.

Seale Ballenger, previously Publicity Director for Disney Publishing Worldwide, joins Scholastic Trade as VP, Publicity. Christina Juvier has joined Scholastic as Chief People Officer. She was most recently Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Thomson Reuters.

At Workman, Elise Howard, Founding Publisher of Algonquin Young Readers, will retire on May 1. Effective May 2, Stacy Lellos, recently named Publisher of Workman Children’s, will take on the additional role of Algonquin Young Readers Publisher.

Lynn Grady has become Group Publisher of a newly-formed division at Chronicle that will house Princeton Architectural Press and the recently-launched Chronicle Prism and Chronical Chroma. She was named Publisher of Princeton Architectural Press in 2019. Gabby Vanacore has been hired as Assistant Managing Editor.

Chris Bauerle joins Insight Editions as VP, North American Sales and Operations. Previously he was VP, Director of Sales and Marketing for Sourcebooks. Elsewhere in the company, Alexandra Oliver, formerly Marketing and Product Development Specialist at kn literary arts, joins as Creative Services Manager. Katie Rokakis, previously Manager, Custom Production (Editorial) at Hayden-McNeil Publishing, joins as Senior Production Editor. Rick Chillot joins as Senior Editor; in the past, he worked as Senior Editor at Quirk Books. And Amanda Nelson joins as Acquisitions & Publishing Coordinator.

At TKO Presents, Margot Wood, lately Director of Sales and Marketing at Oni Press, joins as VP of Sales.

Jessica Calagione, lately VP of Business and Legal Affairs at Anonymous Content, joins Zando as Counsel for Contracts and Business Affairs.

Brandy Polay returns to Candlewick, where she worked from 1991 to 2006, as Design Manager and Art Director. She was most recently Creative Marketing Manager and Designer for Berkshire Hathaway. Carolynn DeCillo joins as Senior Book Designer. Larsson McSwain joins as Book Designer. 

At Podium Audio, Cassie Hanjian joins as Director of Acquisitions. Most recently she was Director at West Wind Literary Scouting.

Adam Schnitzer joins Stanford University Press in the newly-created role of Marketing and Sales Director. He was previously Executive Director, Online and Digital Retail, at Hachette Book Group.

At Wattpad Webtoon Book Group, Lara Allen joins as Rights Director. Previously she was Rights Agent at The Lotts Agency.

Kim Hooyboer joins the American Booksellers Association as Director of Education. She has worked as Store Manager of Seattle’s Third Place Books for the last five years.

At Grand Central, Janine Perez joins as Associate Marketing Director. Previously she was Senior Manager, Marketing & Advertising at Random House Children’s Books.

At Sourcebooks, Shara Zaval joins as Associate Director of Marketing & Publicity, Children’s. She was previously Senior Marketing Manager at Scholastic. Thea Voutiritsas, lately Production Editor at Andrews McMeel, joins as Production Editor. And Ernst Wisner joins as Backend Web Developer.

In agency news…Alexa Stark joins Writers House as Senior Agent. She was previously Literary Agent at Trident Media Group. Also at Writers House, Lisa Barelli is departing her position as Director of Publishing Contracts to launch Barelli Consulting and can be contacted at lisa.barelli@live.com. Erin Clyburn, most recently Associate Agent with Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency, joins Howland Literary as Agent. Kimberly Koba joins West Wind Literary Scouting as Director for clients W-1 Media in Germany and Bragelonne in France. She was previously Senior Scout at Mary Anne Thompson Associates.

Richard Brown joins Rowman & Littlefield as Senior Executive Editor for Religion, starting April 18. He is currently Director of the University of South Carolina Press.

Mika Kasuga joins Union Square & Co. as Executive Editor for Classics. Previously she was Editorial Manager for Modern Library and Senior Publishing Manager for One World and Roc Lit 101.

Laura Blackman, lately Senior Editor at Audible, joins Simon & Schuster as Senior Acquisitions Editor for Original Audio. Additionally, Caleigh Flegg joins as Children’s Library Marketing Associate.

At Bloomsbury, Alex Borbolla joins as Senior Editor. Previously she was Editor at Atheneum and Simon & Schuster.

Eric Levy joins little bee books as Associate Production Manager. 

Jenny Rossberg joins NYU Press as Publicity Manager. She was formerly Senior Publicist at Pegasus Books.

At Abrams Children’s Books, Madeline Morales joins as Design Coordinator. She was formerly Designer at First Second.

Melissa See joins Holiday House, Peachtree, and Pixel + Ink as Digital Marketing Coordinator. 

Darshna Patel joins the Association of University Presses as Administrative Coordinator, while Lauren Ashton joins as Virtual Events Coordinator.

 
Read More »

International Bestsellers, March 2022

Every month, Publishing Trends runs fiction international bestsellers lists from four territories–France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. This month, our four regular territories are joined by two more: Argentina and Turkey. Those books that have been published in English are listed with their official English-language title. All others are translated as literally as possible from the original. Where applicable, the US publisher is listed after the local publisher, separated by a “/”. The lists are taken from major newspapers or national retailers, which are noted at the bottom of each list.

Download the full list as a PDF here.

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 3/28-4/1

­Red Number 5Every week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.

Can hybrid offices actually work?

What should reading in prison cost?

Why is queer romance currently thriving?

How will the London Book Fair reflect the war in Ukraine?

How are bookstores appealing to customers with big-box nostalgia?

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 3/21-3/25

­Red Number 5Every week, we recommend 5 publishing articles/blog posts that supplement the major news for the week. Whether data or industry commentary, we hope these 5 links will be a simple way to keep you in the know.

Why read fiction in an era of crisis?

How dangerous can library work actually be?

What are suburban parents doing to respond to book bans?

How do romance covers reflect market attitudes toward the genre?

In the midst of war, can the Ukrainian publishing industry survive?