People Round-Up, Mid-March 2022

PEOPLE

Margot Atwell has been named Executive Director and Publisher of The Feminist Press. She most recently worked as Director of Outreach and International for Kickstarter.

At Melville House, Janet Joy Wilson joins as VP, Sales. She was previously Senior Executive Sales Director at Penguin Random House Canada.

Leigh Nash will join House of Anansi as Publisher on April 19. She is currently Publisher at Invisible Publishing.

LuAnn Walther, SVP and Editorial Director of Vintage Books, Anchor Books, and Everyman’s Library, will retire on July 1. She was the founder of Bantam Classics and worked in the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for thirty years. At Knopf Doubleday, Kelsey Manning joins as Associate Director of Marketing, moving over from the consumer marketing team. Asharee Peters joins as Associate Manager on March 28; she was previously Marketing Coordinator at Macmillan. Sophie Normil, lately Assistant Publicist at William Morrow, joins Vintage/Anchor as Marketing Associate. At Random House Children’s, Jade Hector, previously Designer at Abrams, joins as Designer; Michelle Crowe, previously Senior Designer at HarperCollins, joins as Designer; and Megan Shortt joins as Junior Designer. Lois Evans, lately Assistant Editor at Random House, moves over to Make Me A World as Editor.

At Candlewick Press, John Mendelson, SVP, Sales Director, and Walker Books Group Sales Director for the US and Canada, has left the company.

Hachette Book Group has announced a plan to combine the HBG and Workman sales and subrights teams, which took effect on March 14. Consequently, a number of people have joined HBG from Workman. Jodi Weiss joins the sales team as VP, Sales Strategy and Business Development and Workman Liaison. James Wehrle joins as Executive Director, Sales Operations. Katherina Gadow joins the digital and online team as National Accounts Manager. Caitlin Kleinschmidt joins the chain sales team as Senior National Accounts Manager and Workman Backlist Liaison. Liz Hunter joins as Associate Director, Field Sales and Christian Westermann joins as Associate Manager, Field Sales and Account Marketing. Adelia Kalyvas joins as Executive Director, Gift and Specialty Retail Sales. Jenny Mandel joins as Executive Director of Premium, Author Sales, and New Markets. And Kendra Poster joins as Director, Subsidiary Rights.

At Blackstone Publishing, John Lawton joins as Director of National Accounts. Previously he was SVP of Sales at Penguin.

At Workman, Suzie Bolotin, Publisher and Editorial Director of the adult, children’s, and calendar imprints, will retire on April 29, and current calendar publisher Janet Harris will retire on June 15. Page Edmunds will become Publisher, Workman Calendars on May 2; she is presently Executive Associate Publisher at Workman.

Steven Sussman will retire as Sales Director at Skyhorse at the end of the month.

In agency news, JL Stermer is launching Next Level Lit. She was previously Literary Agent at New Leaf Literary & Media.

Marina Padakis Lowry joins Union Square & Co. as Executive Managing Editor. Previously she was Senior Managing Editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

At the University of Wisconsin Press, Founding Editor Ron Wallace is stepping down as editor of the Wisconsin Poetry series. Poet Jesse Lee Kercheval joins as Series Coeditor.

Pamela Paul is stepping down as Editor of The New York Times Book Review to join the paper’s Opinion section as a columnist.

At Zando Projects, Allegra Green joins as Senior Marketing Manager. Previously she was Senior Marketing Manager at Wiley.

At HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Camille Smaby joins as Marketing Manager, Online Optimization.

Marty Gosser joins Chelsea Green as Trade Sales Manager. Previously he was National Accounts Manager for Perseus Books Group.

At Abrams, Natalie Padberg Bartoo joins as Designer, Abrams Books for Young Readers and Appleseed. She was previously Designer at little bee.

Alyssa Garcia joins Sourcebooks Casablanca as Associate Marketing Manager.

Maria Orlandi joins Adams Media as Marketing & Publicity Associate.

At Bloomsbury, Ragav Maripudi joins as Assistant Editor.

At Printers Row Publishing, Vanessa Carrington joins as Inventory Manager. Sarah Gosnell joins as Production Manager. Laura Higueras joins as Digital Marketing Specialist. And Bryten Holborow joins as Publicity Coordinator.

 
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Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 3/7-3/11

­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 so many men still avoid reading women?

What lies ahead for Christian publishing?

How are translators and publishers platforming Ukrainian voices?

Which novelists can truly thrive on Substack?

Is Goodreads worth its flaws?

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 2/28-3/4

­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 cultural sanctions change Russia’s course?

If more high-profile authors self-publish, how will the industry rebalance?

Why is Amazon closing physical retail locations?

How do book challenges affect school library budgets?

What can translated children’s literature teach adults?

People Round-Up, Early March 2022

PEOPLE

Therese Ratcliff has been named Director and CEO at Liturgical, becoming the first woman to lead the Catholic press. She will replace outgoing director Peter Dwyer in June and is presently VP of the Association of Catholic Publishers’ board of directors. In news from other religious presses, Katelyn Beaty has been named Editorial Director of Brazos; she was previously Acquisitions Editor for Baker Publishing Group. And the Rev. Dr. Bridgett A. Green returns from a stint in academia to become VP of Publishing for the Presbyterian Publishing Corp. and Editorial Director for the WJK Press.

At HarperCollins, James Phirman, previously Senior Director of Special Sales at HMH Books & Media, joins as VP of Special Markets. Louise Braverman joins HarperOne as Director of Publicity; she was formerly Director of Publicity for Viking/Penguin. At Dey Street/William Morrow, Allison Carney, formerly Assistant Director of Marketing at Macmillan, joins as Marketing Director. Jessica Gilo, lately Senior Marketing Manager at Countryman Press, joins the Harper Group as Associate Director of Marketing for Harper Wave and Harper Business. At HarperCollins Children’s Books, Michelle Bigman joins as Senior Designer.

Chris Kouzes, formerly Director of Sales at Readerlink, joins Talkshoplive as VP of Vendor Management and Distribution.

Michael Spradlin joins Puppy Dogs & Ice Cream as VP of Sales and can be contacted at michael.spradlin@pdicbooks.com.

Kendra Newton, previously Senior Director of Marketing at HarperCollins/Dey Street joins Cent, Inc. as Director of Marketing.

As part of the continued Workman integration, a number of changes have been announced at Hachette. In the finance group, Bill Jackson will serve as Workman Executive Finance Director, Jocelyn Lentin will be Financial Analyst, and Linda Stark and Heather Tietgens will both be Finance Managers. The Accounts Receivable and Customer Financial Services group will have Christine Torres, Senior CFS Representative; Rosemary Colucci and Cecilia Ruiz, CFS Representative; Deyanisa Moronta, Senior National Accounts Representative (International); Lucy Spiotta, Senior National Accounts Representative; and Cathy Rivera, Senior Accounts Receivable Reconciler. The General Accounting, Accounts Payable, Royalties, and Payroll Group will have Fun Leung as Payroll Coordinator; Anne Guest as Royalty Analyst; Stacey Shufelt as Subrights Coordinator; Eileen Spinella as Compliance Specialist; Dawn Chavis as Cost Coordinator; Editha Wolf as Senior Accountant; and Vena Balraj and Lawrence Chang as Staff Accounts. And in the contracts department, Shani Weisser joins as Associate and Jodi Donovan joins as Contracts Operations Coordinator.

Elsewhere in the company, Cassie Malmo joins Little, Brown Books for Young Readers as Associate Publicity Director. She was previously Senior Publicity Manager at Simon & Schuster Children’s Books. Camryn Cogshell also joins as Assistant Designer. At the Hachette Speakers Bureau, Ashley Cave Himes joins as Senior Manager

Alex Kelleher, lately Associate Director, Publicity at Scholastic, joins Simon & Schuster as Associate Director of Publicity. Jennifer Jimenez joins as Digital Marketing Associate; in the past, she was Production Associate for Abrams. Naomi Kennedy joins the indie team as Telemarketing Account Manager, Independents and Educational Specialist. She was previously National Accounts Coordinator, Children’s Sales for Hachette Book Group.

Sarah Sisterson joins Sourcebooks Kids as Associate Art Director; she was previously Senior Art Director at Phoenix International Publications. Sophie Kossakowski, formerly International Marketing Coordinator at HarperCollins, joins as Associate International Marketing Manager. At Sourcebooks, Tara Jaggers joins as Production Designer.

At the Boston Book Festival, former Random House Graphic Publishing Director Gina Gagliano has been named Executive Director.

In agency news…Agnes Ahlander Turner will become President of Maria B. Campbell Associates, effective April 1, as founder Maria B. Campbell takes the new role of Executive Chair. Adriana Dominguez joins Aevitas Creative Management as Senior Agent; she was most recently Agent at Full Circle Literary. Alison Lewis, lately Agent and Contracts Manager at the Zoë Pagnamenta Agency, joins the Francis Goldin Literary Agency as Agent. At UTA, Georgia Bodnar, previously Senior Editor at Viking, joins as Literary Agent. Jenaye Merida joins WTA Media as Publishing Manager and Literary Agent; she was formerly Senior Publicist at B&H Publishing Group. Additionally, Janine Le, previously Agent and Foreign Rights Manager at Sheldon Fogelman Agency, is launching Janine Le Literary Agency, which will represent children’s book authors and illustrators.

Susan Chang, most recently Senior Editor at Starscape and Tor Teen, has launched a freelance editorial services business.

At Hierophant Publishing, Janette Lynn Neal, previously Senior Production Editor at Insight Editions, joins as Senior Editor.

Matthew Wright joins Sage Publishing as Senior Acquisitions Editor, Psychology. Most recently he was Director of Product at EL Education.

At Yen Press, Taylor Pitts joins as Senior Production Editor. Most recently she was Senior Production Editor at Macmillan.

Poet Jesse Lee Kercheval joins Northwest Review as Editor of Translation. She is Professor Emerita at the University of Wisconsin.

At the University of North Carolina Press, Elaine Maisner will retire as Executive Editor on March 31.

Bianca Johnson joins little bee books as National Account Manager for Special Markets; she was formerly Senior Account Manager for Corporate and Premium Sales at Macmillan.

At Candlewick, Jennifer Freilach joins as Editorial Services Assistant Manager. Previously she was Production Editor at HarperCollins.

Stephanie Sumulong, lately Art Director at Callisto Media, joins Disney Hyperion Adult and Undefeated Books as Senior Designer.

At Random House Children’s, Donna Rocco, lately Associate Director of Creative Services at World Education Services, joins as Production Supervisor, and Lena Reilly, lately Associate Publicist at HarperCollins Children’s Books, joins as Publicist.

Spencer Quong joins Astra Magazine as Online Editor.

At Chronicle Books, Desirae Grier joins as Junior Financial Analyst.

 
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International Bestsellers, February 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: Bulgaria and Norway. 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 2/21-2/25

­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.

How will the Ukrainian publishing industry be affected by the Russian invasion?

Is it still too soon for the Great COVID-19 Novel?

What makes a print book accessible?

Have women scholars actually published less during the pandemic?

Will the return to in-person work be enough to save small businesses?

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 2/14-2/18

­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 would the publishing landscape look like without literary magazines?

Bookstore sales rose in 2021.

Which translators can afford to be anonymous?

How does a common design aesthetic unify an author’s works?

What does the banning of Maus mean for other Holocaust narratives?

People Round-Up, Mid-February 2022

PEOPLE

At Zibby Books, Jeanne Emanuel, previously at WBUR and Ingram, joins as Chief Operating Officer. Bridie Loverro joins as Editor.

At Beacon PressHelene Atwan will retire as Director on July 29. A successor will be named in April.

At Audible, James Finn joins as Head of Content Marketing. He has worked in the past as EVP, Head of Marketing and Communications for FoxNext.

Scott Di Valerio joins the book subscription service Literati as CFO/COO. Previously he was CFO/COO at FabFitFun.

Matt Williams is stepping down as VP of House of Anansi Press.

At Bookshop.org, Steph Opitz joins as Director of Strategic Partnerships. Most recently she was Founding Director of The Loft Literary Center.

Michelle Malonzo joins The Word, A Storytelling Sanctuary as Head of Operations. Most recently she was Buyer at Changing Hands Bookstore.

Pippa White joins Cameron + Company, acquired by Abrams in 2020, as Editorial Director. She was previously Executive Editor, Content Quality Management at Callisto Media. Soyolmaa Lkhagvadorj, formerly Associate Editor at Harper Design, joins Abrams as Assistant Editor. At Abrams Children’s Books, Maggie Moore joins as Production Associate.

In agency news…Ayla Zuraw-Friedland, lately Assistant Agent at David Black Literary Agency, joins the Frances Golden Literary Agency as Agent. James Faccinto, lately Senior Publicist and Marketing Strategist at Insight Editions, is launching communications and creative agency Full Complement, specializing in literary publicity. And Rebecca Temerario, formerly Social Media Community Manager at Literati, is launching Steel Tulip Creative Co., a marketing agency for authors, educators, and small businesses.

In university press news, Danielle D’Orlando joins Princeton University Press as Curator of Audio. She was previously Acquisitions Department Manager and Audio Rights Manager at Yale University Press. Additionally, Paige Clunie, lately Digital Sales Associate at Harvard University Press, joins PUP as Digital Partnerships Manager. At University of California Press, Andy Etzkorn, previously Senior Marketing Manager for Academic Titles at Bloomsbury, joins as Senior Campaign Strategist.

Soriya K. Chum joins Random House as Senior Events Manager.

Elisa Thomas joins the American Booksellers Association as DEIA Member Relations Manager. She was previously a bookseller at Cellar Door Bookstore.

At Bloomsbury, Jaclyn Sassa, formerly Sales Support Representative at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, joins as Sales Manager for Trade. Robin Wane joins as Publicist, Special Interest; she was previously Publicist at Sarah Russo Public Relations.

On February 22, Samantha Kralstein joins American Psychiatric Association Publishing as Licensing Coordinator. She was formerly Business Development Strategist at Barnes & Noble.

Michael Campbell joins Skyhorse as Senior Editor, Business and Finance. Previously he was Associate Acquisitions Editor at Wiley.

At Kevin Anderson and Associates, Julia Johnson-Viola joins as Senior Editor.

At Chronicle, Heather Fisk joins as Production Developer for Entertainment.

Sara Lunsford joins Kensington as Digital Content Coordinator.

At Simon & Schuster, Winona Lukito joins as Demand Planning Analyst.

 
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Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 2/7-2/11

­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.

How long “should” a book be?

Christian publishing had a good year.

How are literary magazines planning to survive?

Can AI grammar suggestions actually provide scholarly nuance?

If book bans are supposed to protect children, what do the children think?

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 1/31-2/4

­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 motivated the so-called “spine collector”?

Why should children read disturbing books?

If synthetic voices are “the future of audiobooks,” who’s resisting?

What does Amazon’s closure of Westland portend for publishing in India?

Should primary sources be paywalled?