Publishing Trends

People Round Up, Mid September, 2024

September 17, 2024

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PEOPLE

Following Hachette’s restructuring over the summer with Algonquin being moved into Little, Brown, publisher Betsy Gleick will leave the company October 4th, as will associate publisher Michael McKenzie. Also at Hachette, Tracy Bozentka joins as sales manager for children’s sales. She was previously district sales manager for field sales and special markets at Scholastic. Colleen Kurzbach is joining the sales team as director of title management, she was previously the senior director of title management at Penguin Random House, specifically Knopf and Penguin Publishing Groups.

Penguin Random House, emeritus EVP, corporate communications, Stuart Applebuam will step down from the company on September 30th after 52 years with associated companies. He is “Bertelsmann’s longest-tenured employee in North America”.

At Simon & Schuster,VP, director, sales operations Eileen Gentillo will retire from the company after 40 years. The remaining members of the sales operations team will be integrated into other operation groups around the company starting October 1st. Jisoo Leones and Andres Feliciano will join the sales department. Caroline Bonin and Lis Kingren-Hawkins will join information services & technology. Nikita Patil will join client services. Elizabeth Worthy and Billie Anna Runions and Jessica Tosi will join corporate marketing. Sean Duffy will join business operations. Kerri Kolen, previously VP and head of audiobooks at Pushkin Industries has joined Pave Publishing House as VP. Julie Neimat, previously EVP, people and culture at Warner Bros. Discover, has joined as chief human resources officer. Ella Laythem joins as art director at Saga Press. She was previously senior designer at Penguin Random House. At Harmony Rodale, Matthew Benjamin has been promoted to editorial director, Harmony. Donna Loffredo has been promoted to executive editor, director of author development, Harmony and Rodale Books. Dervla Kelly has been promoted to editorial director, Rodale Lifestyle. Michele Eniclerico has been promoted to senior, Harmony.

HarperCollins sees Bailey Thomas, formerly senior imprint manager at Penguin Random House join as director of divisional sales and retail development. Catherine Aramino has joined as academic marketing associate. She was previously at Kaufman Studios and Dover Publications. Amanda Maciel has joined Harper middle grade/teen group as VP, editorial director, reporting to VP, publisher Erica Sussman. She was previously at Scholastic.

Lily Philpott, formerly director of programs and partnerships at Asian American Writers’ Workshop has joined Catapult/Counterpoint/Soft Skull as events manager and can be contacted at lily.philpott@catapult.com.

At Sourcebooks, Cara Nesi has joined as senior inside sales manager. Ashley Mallick has joined as key account fulfillment representative. Justin Krasner has joined as editorial director of Sourcebooks eXplore imprint.

At Chronicle Books, Barbara Bersche is joining as senior designer. Wynne- Au-Yueng has joined as designer.

Phaidon Press sees Kindall Gant join as senior publicist.

At Independent Publishers Group, Rachel McCumber has joined as subsidiary rights and royalties coordinator.

InterVarsity Press, sees Eva Pankratz join as publicity coordinator.

At Baker Publishing Group, Luverta Reames, formerly editorial assistant at Waterbook and Multnomah, has joined Chosen Books as acquisition editor.

Anne McGilvray & Company sees Lisa Bach join as director of sales and publisher relations, she was previously executive publisher relations.

Editor-in-chief of Minnesota Historical Society Press, Ann Regan has retired

At Llewellyn Worldwide, Anthony Dalessandro, formerly national account manager at Sounds True, joined as national account manager and can be contacted at anthonyd@llewellyn.com.

Chelsea Green Publishing sees Anna Bliss join as senior editor.

The University of North Carolina sees Sebastian Biot join as digital initiatives specialist.

Ethos Books sees Justin Chia taking over for Pei Ying as marketing manager. He previously oversaw their marketing and publicity.

In Agency News…

Maria B. Campbell Associates has promoted Madi Tower to junior scout. Nina Dahan-Relijich has been promoted to junior scout. Sara Vitale has been promoted to senior scout.

Transatlantic Agency has promoted Amanda Orozco to senior literary agent. Joni Di Placido has joined as international rights coordinator.

Jemma McDonagh has launched her own literary agency, Jemma McDonagh Agency, selling English language and translation rights for other agencies. She was previously joint managing director at The Marsh Agency.

Rachel Richardson, previously of Watson Little, has launched Rich Lit, which will specialize in children’s books, commercial and upmarket fiction for adults, select nonfiction, and international titles.

BOOM! Studios Michael Kelly will join as publisher. He was previously VP, global publishing at Hasbro.

AARP Books, Jodi Lipson is retiring as director on September 20th, after over 14 years. Leah Miller will succeed her as director.

Astra Publishing House sees Paul Reyes join as retail marketing manager for Astra Children’s. He previously worked at DK and Penguin Young Readers.

PROMOTIONS

At Penguin Random House, Nicole Biton has been promoted to senior publicist at Putnam. Heather Mill has been promoted to senior manager, backlist publicity. Erin Madison has been promoted to senior manager, backlist publicity. Gabriella Shery has been promoted to designer at Penguin Random House Audio. At Kokila, Sydnee Monday has been promoted to editor. Reid Walsh has been promoted to VP for sales analysis at Penguin Random House. Stacey Stein has been promoted to assistant director of publicity at Crown.

Simon & Schuster has promoted Tim O’Connell to VP, publisher at Saga Press. He was previously the editorial director of fiction and now will be reporting to Sean Manning. He will continue to acquire literary fiction and select nonfiction for the Simon & Schuster list. Joe Monti is promoted to VP, associate publisher and editorial director, reporting to O’Connell.

Scholastic has promoted Kara Pauley to rights assistant. Stacey Jaffe has been promoted to the new position of chief digital officer.

Bloomsbury Publishing has promoted Lauren Wilson to associate publicist. Harriet LeFavour has been promoted to editor. Briana Williams is being promoted to assistant marketing manager.

Sourcebooks has promoted Rebecca Atkinson to associate manager of international marketing and publicity. Elisabeth Clary has been promoted to assistant editor at Sourcebooks Wonderland. Zoya Boskovic has been promoted to digital marketing specialist. Alexandra Derdall has been promoted to digital marketing manager for special projects.

Chronicle Books has promoted Gwyneth Morgan to sales and marketing enablement coordinator.

The Future of Agency has promoted Amanda R. Livingston to marketing manager and can be contacted at amanda@thefutureofagency.com.

Books-A-Million promoted Damian Doggett to SVP and chief accounting officer.

InterVarsity Press has promoted Karin DeHaven to senior publicist.

Princeton University Press promoted Chloe Coy to assistant editor. Emma Wagh has been promoted to editorial associate. Lijuan (Sophie) Liu has been promoted to assistant business operations manager. Lina Sun has been promoted to China office operations manager. Will Pagdatoon has been promoted to promotions associate and Taylor Sumereau was promoted to intellectual property and contracts coordinator.

Girl Friday Productions has promoted Abi Pollokoff to senior publishing manager.

BOOM! Studios has promoted Bryce Carlson to VP, deputy publisher, reporting to Kelly.

DULY NOTED

The National Book Foundation will award Barbara Kingslover with the 2024 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, which will be presented at the National Book Awards ceremony and held on November 20th.

NYU Advance Publishing Institute announced that registration is now open, and there is an early bird discount through October 13. (Group discounts are also available.) An information session will be offered September 18

API 2025 program topics include:

Global Trends and Opportunities in Audio

A Deep Dive into the Creator Universe

Mobilizing Communities of Book Lovers

AI: Tools and Applications You Need to Know

Analytics in Action: Marketing Case Studies

DEI 2.0: A Moral and a Business Imperative

Publishing for the Future: What the Experts Say

For more information about the program, pricing, and to register, click here.”

Apple has announced the cut of approximately 100 jobs and reports from Bloomberg saying “the biggest impact on teams responsible for Apple Books app and Apple Bookstore.” The Apple News team will also be affected.

EVENTS

The Village Trip

Sept 14-28

New York, NY

Brooklyn Book Festival

Sept 22-30

Brooklyn, NY

Amman International Book Fair

Sept 25- Oct 5

Amman, JO

Indonesia International Book Fair

Sept 25-29

Jakarta, IDN

Budapest International Book Festival

Sept 26-29

Budapest, HU

New England Independent Booksellers Association Conference

Oct 3-5

Providence, RI

Posted in Book View • Tagged Algonquin, Anne McGilvray & Company, Asian American Writers Workshop, Baker Publishing Group, Bloomsbury Publishing, Books-A-Million, Catapult/Counterpoint/Soft Skull, Chelsea Green Publishing, Chosen Books, Chronicle Books, Dover Publications, Future of Agency, Girl Friday Productions, Hachette, Harmony and Rodale Books, Harper, HarperCollins, Independent Publishers Group, InterVarsity Press, Jemma McDonagh Agency, Kaufman Studios, Little Brown, Llewellyn Worldwide, Maria B. Campbell Associates, Minnesota Historical Society Press, Pave Publishing House, Penguin Random House, Phaidon Press, Princeton University Press, Pushkin Industries, Putnam, Rachel Richardson, Rich Lit, Saga Press, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Sounds True, Sourcebooks, Sourcebooks eXplore, Sourcebooks Wonderland, Stuart Applebuam, The Marsh Agency, Transatlantic Agency, University of North Carolina, Warner Bros. Discover, Waterbook and Multnomah, Watson Little

People Round Up, Early September, 2024

By PT Editors

September 3, 2024

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PEOPLE

At Simon & Schuster, Lauren Marino will join Simon Element as executive editor on September 9th. She was previously editorial director at Hachette Books.

Macmillan Publishers: Paul Sleven, SVP, general counsel will retire in January. He has worked for Macmillan since 1995. At Tor Publishing Group, Susan Barnes has joined as senior editor, acquiring commercial fiction. Haylie Spain joined as junior contracts associate. Fiona Sullivan has joined as contracts assistant. Nalie Borihane has joined as subsidiary rights assistant. Erin Powell has joined as field sales assistant.

At Penguin Random House, Alana Moshay has joined as marketing associate, brand marketing for Random House Children’s. She was most recently an account executive at Saatchi & Saatchi. Ariel Stevenson has joined as production associate. Nick Amphlett, formerly editor at William Morrow joins Dutton as senior editor.

Hachette Book Group announced that Colleen Kurzbach is joining the sales team as director of title management. She was previously senior director of title management at Penguin Random House, where she was responsible for the Knopf and Penguin Publishing Groups.

At HarperCollins, Ariel So has joined as senior marketing associate in sales operations. Previously, she was at Riverhead as a publishing associate. Jamil Zaidi has joined the field sales team as a sales representative for the PNBA and MPIBA regions, reporting to Kathy Faber. Giselle Durand has joined the field sales team as sales representative for MIBA and GLIBA regions, and also reporting to Faber. Starting September 3rd, Suzi Hough will join the field team as a sales representative for the CALIBA region. Kalani Kapahua has joined the inside sales team as representative for the SIBA region. He will report to Dawn Littman. He was previously manager and buyer at Third Place Books. Hannah Koerner, formerly subsidiary rights manager at Hachette Book Group, has joined HarperCollins as closed market international sales manager.

American University in Cairo Press has named Thomas Willshire executive director, effective September 1. He was previously at Cambridge University Press.

Sourcebooks sees Jolene Barto join as ebook marketing manager. Hartley Christensen has joined as marketing associate.

At Scholastic, Jael Fogle has joined as lead production editor.

Learner Publisher sees Brian Farrey-Latz join Zest Books as senior editor.

Minnesota Historical Society Press, Ann Regan, editor in chief will be retiring September 3rd after more than 45 years. She began as a researcher in 1978 and then worked her way up to editor in chief. Ryan Hemmer has joined as acquisitions editor. John Rahm has joined as director.

American University in Cairo Press, Thomas Willshire has been named executive director, effective September 1st. He was previously at Cambridge University Press.

American Booksellers Association, Children’s Book World manager Brein Lopez has joined the board to fill a vacancy.

Society of Children’s Book and Writers and Illustrators, have elected Laurent Linn, author and art director at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, as board president.

In Agency News…

Tobias Literary Agency has promoted Sarah N. Fisk to literary agent. At Mad Woman Literary Agency, Chelsea Hensley joined as an agent. At Looking Glass Literary & Media, Jas Perry has joined as an agent. She was formerly with KT Literary and takes her client list with her. At Arthouse Literary Agency, Hailey Stephens has joined as associate agent. At Sebes & Bisseling, Sam Birmingham and Elizabeth DeNoma have joined as agents.

PROMOTIONS

Penguin Random House, promoted Amanda D’Acierno to the newly created role of president, Penguin Random House Audio, global. She will also join the Penguin Random House Global Executive Committee. Michelle Delavega has been promoted to VP of credit and accounts receivable at Penguin Random House. Ruta Rimas is being promoted to senior executive editor and publishing director at Putnam for Young Readers.

Macmillan Publishers, Yassy Okamoto has been promoted to EVP, general counsel, effective January 1st, 2025.

HarperCollins promoted Carrie Thornton of Dey Street from VP to SVP. At Mariner, Peter Hubbard, publisher, has been promoted from VP to SVP.

Scholastic, promoted Caroline Noll to national account manager. Sydney Niegos is promoted to associate marketing manager.

Candlewick, Holiday House, and Peachtree, have promoted Dana Eger to marketing manager for school and library.

Sourcebooks has promoted Kate Roddy to editor. Jenna Jankowski has been promoted to senior editor. Letty Mundt has been promoted to associate publishing coordinator.

Cambridge University Press has promoted Todd Berman to SVP for U.S. and Canada, effective September 9th. He will continue his role as head of retail sales for the Americas, the U.K., and Europe.

ReaderLink has promoted Sean Sparkowski account executive.

Chronicle Books has promoted Hannah Delgado to specialty sales coordinator.

Melville House promoted Hanna Lafferty to director of sales. Pia Mulleady has been promoted to publicist. Michelle Capone has been promoted to associate editor.

At Hazelden Publishing, Kai Benson is being promoted to editor.

Hilsinger-Mendelson promoted Sam Mitchell to director of publicity.

DULY NOTED

Len Reggio, bookselling giant of Barnes & Noble, died on August 27th at 83 from complications of Alzheimers. Over the course of his 54 year tenure, he created one of the largest bookstore chains in the country.

API 2025 program topics include:

Global Trends and Opportunities in Audio

A Deep Dive into the Creator Universe

Mobilizing Communities of Book Lovers

AI: Tools and Applications You Need to Know

Analytics in Action: Marketing Case Studies

DEI 2.0: A Moral and a Business Imperative

Publishing for the Future: What the Experts Say

For more information about the program, pricing, and to register, click here.”

EVENTS

Feira do Livro do Porto

Aug 23- Sep 8

Crystal Palace Gardens, PT

Queen’s Park Book Festival

Aug 31- Sept 1

London, UK

Printers Row Lit Fest

Sept 7-8

Chicago, IL

The Village Trip

Sept 14-28

New York, NY

Brooklyn Book Festival

Sept 22-30

Brooklyn, NY

Posted in Book View • Tagged Alana Moshay, Amanda d’Acierno, American Booksellers Association, American University in Cairo Press, Apple, Apple Books, Apple Bookstore, Apple News, Barnes & Noble, Bloomberg, Cambridge University Press, Candlewick, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Hazelden Publishing, Holiday House, KT Literary, Learner Publisher, Len Reggio, Looking Glass Literary & Media, Macmillan Publishers, Mad Woman Literary Agency, Mariner, Melville House, Minnesota Historical Society Press, Penguin Random House, Penguin Random House Audio, Penguin Random House Global Executive Committee, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Society of Children’s Book and Writers and Illustrators, Sourcebooks, Third Place Books, Tobias Literary Agency, Yassy Okamoto, Zest Books

People Round Up, Mid August 2024

By PT Editors

August 19, 2024

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PEOPLE

At Penguin Random House, Helen Thomaides, previously assistant editor at W.W. Norton has joined as editor for Hogarth and the Modern Library. Ariela Rudy Zaltzman has left Penguin Random House. She can be contacted at arielarudy@gmail.com. Hannah Perrin has joined Crown as associate marketing manager. Jamie Lescht has joined as publicity manager. She was previously senior publicist at Penguin Press.

Hachette Book Group, Clive Priddle will step down as publisher of Public Affairs, effective September 13. Leigh Marchant will join as SVP and chief marketing officer on September 23, reporting to Richard Kitson. Previously she was SVP, director of marketing and & strategy & engagement at Random House. Tom Mis, formerly production manager at John Marshall Media, has joined Hachette Audio as audio post-production. Oriel Voegele, formerly publicity assistant at Basic Books, has joined Hachette Audio as publicity and marketing coordinator. Jerry Jensen joins as executive director of mass merchandising. He was previously at Simon & Schuster. Dan Kosack joins as director of mass merchandising. He was previously at Penguin Random House. Avi Molder is moving to the merchandising team to become national account manager, airports. Molly McLaughlin has been promoted to associate national accounts manager. Tishana Knight, senior national accounts manager, will be the inventory and operational point person for the mass merchandising channel. Associate editor Mollie Weisenfeld has left the company.

At Simon & Schuster, Ingrid Paredes, formerly special projects manager at Scholastic, has joined as manager for corporate and premium sales and special markets. Lauren Marino is joining as Simon Element as executive editor.

HarperCollins, sees Elise Damasco, previously advisory specialist at the Skokie Public Library join HarperCollins Children’s Books as school and library marketing coordinator. Dan Vidra, international sales director has departed the company. He can be reached at DVidra009@gmail.com.

At Sourcebooks, Nicholas Sweeney has joined as production editor for children’s. Celeste Knudson has joined as senior art director for children’s.

Authors Equity, Craig Young has joined as president of sales and can be reached at craig@authorsequity.com. He was previously deputy publisher at Little, Brown.

At Chronicle Books following a reorganization they have expanded their children’s books program. Rebecca Frazer joins as executive editor, overseeing licensing partnerships. She was previously at AMEET Publishing. Mary Colgan returns as senior editor, overseeing chapter books and the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site line. She was previously at Highlights for Children, Boyds Mills Press, and Callisto Media. The marketing, publicity and school & library marketing teams will be combined under marketing associate director Brittany Mitchell. Natalie Nicolson takes on the role of senior manager of brand marketing.

At Springer Nature, Natalie Weaver has joined Kogan Page as marketing manager for North America.

At NYU Press, director Ellen Chodosh will retire from the company effective October 4th. Eric Schwartz, formerly editorial director at Columbia University Press will join and take over as director.

At Parallax Press, Katie Sheehan, formerly associate director of communications at Berret-Koehler Publishers and can be contacted at ksheehan@parallax.org.

Chelsea Green Publishing has appointed Matthew Derr as deputy publisher.

Port Hawkesbury Paper sees Eric Huard as director of speciality sales.

At Orca Book Publishing, Alexandra Valiquette joins as French-language sales specialist.

At Andrews McMeel Publishing, Jessica Rodriguez has joined as children’s and graphic novel art director.

Viz Media, Kevin Hamric, VP of publishing sales, has left the company and can be contacted at krh9595@gmail.com.

Creative Editions sees Beth Kephart as senior editor.

At Bookmobile, Hans Weyandt has joined Itasca Books, a division of Bookmobile as distribution manager. Mark Jung is retiring at the end of the month after 20 years with the company.

Minnesota Historical Society Press, Ryan Hemmer, formerly editor in chief at Fortress Press. John Rahm, formerly director of growth initiatives at Capstone Publishing has joined as director..

At Chooseco, Benjamin Wilgus formerly at First Second has joined as editor and can be reached at bwilgus@chooseco.com.

In Agency News…

At New Leaf Literary & Media, Trinica Sampson-Vera is being promoted to associate agent.

Andrienna Ingrum has joined Serendipity Literary Agency as VP and senior agent. She was previously at Broadleaf Books.

Baker Literary Scouting, Ellie VandenBerg has been promoted to vice president.

At FinePrint Literary Management, Mara Hollander has been promoted to associate agent.

PROMOTIONS

At Hachette Book Group, Cristal Sanchez has been promoted to sales associate for the online and digital team. Fantasia Brown has been promoted to national account manager for the online and digital team.

Simon & Schuster has promoted Natalia Olbinski to associate art director. Math Monahan is being promoted to art director.

At Penguin Random House, Jules Kelly has been promoted to associate director of trade marketing at Random House Children’s Books. Megan Mitchell has been promoted to senior marketing manager at Random House Children’s Books. Kaitlin Kneafsey has been promoted to associate director of publicity at Penguin Young Readers. Shannon Spann has been promoted to senior digital marketing manager at Penguin Young Readers.

At Union Square & Co., Alexandra Eliopoulos has been promoted to managing editor for digital publishing and reprints.

At Melville House Publishing, Hannah Lafferty is being promoted to director of sales. She can be contacted at hanna@mhpbooks.com. Pia Mulleady has been promoted to publicist and can be contacted at pia@mhpbooks.com. Michelle Capone has been promoted to associate editor. She can be contacted at michelle@mhpbooks.com.

At Lerner Publishing Group, Ben Tunby has been promoted to premedia manager. Spencer Hanson has been promoted to project manager. Annie Zheng has been promoted to editor.

At Beacon Press, Frankie Karnedy has been promoted to sales and marketing coordinator. Maya Fernandez and Haley Lynch have been promoted to editor.

At Chelsea Green Publishing, Sean Maher has been promoted to director of North American sales, marketing, and publicity.

Diversion Books, Evan Phail has been promoted to acquisitions editor.

Good Book Company has promoted Nick Bannister to U.S. sales director.

DULY NOTED

NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute (NYU API), an executive education program, inspired by the Yale Publishing Course, is now returning for a second year in 2025. API 2025 will be held on NYU’s Greenwich Village Campus from January 6-10, 2025. Enrollment is now open

Susan Wokcicki, YouTube CEO and a key player in encouraging the publishing world to allow Google, which later would be known as Google Books, to scan books into its search engine, died of lung cancer on August 9. She was 56.

Dana Adkins Pan, 77, died at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City on July 22. She had spent thirty years as an editor at Viking, Houghton Mifflin and later, at Reader’s Digest. The date for a memorial service will be announced shortly.

Betty Prashker, 99, died on July 30 at her daughter’s home in the Berkshires. She was one of the first women to rise high in publishing editorial ranks and enterprising editor of feminist nonfiction. She is estimated to have edited more than 500 books during her time at Doubleday and Crown.

New York Times bestselling author of Heavier Than Heaven: The Biography of Kurt Cobain and prolific music writer and editor, Charles Cross, 67, died August 9.

Susan Watt, veteran publisher and HarperCollinsUK editor-at-large dies. In addition to her 60 year long tenure at HarperCollins, she was also the longtime editor of Bernard Cornwell.

EVENTS

Edinburgh International Book Fair

Aug 10-25

Edinburgh, UK

Feira do Livro do Porto

Aug 23- Sep 8

Crystal Palace Gardens, PT

Queen’s Park Book Festival

Aug 31- Sept 1

London, UK

Printers Row Lit Fest

Sept 7-8

Chicago, IL

The Village Trip

Sept 14-28

New York, NY

Brooklyn Book Festival

Sept 22-30

Brooklyn, NY

Posted in Book View • Tagged Alexandra Eliopoulos, Alexandra Valiquette, Ameet Publishing, Andrews McMeel Publishing, Andrienna Ingrum, Annie Zheng, Ariela Rudy Zaltzman, Avi Molder, Baker Literary Scouting, Basic Books, Beacon Press, Ben Tunby, Benjamin Wilgus, Bernard Cornwell, Berret-Koehler Publishers, Beth Kephart, Betty Prashker, Bookmobile, Boyds Mills Press, Brittany Mitchell. Natalie Nicolson, Broadleaf Books, Callisto Media, Capstone Publishing, Celeste Knudson, Charles Cross, Chelsea Green Publishing, Chooseco, Chronicle Books, Clive Priddle, Columbia University Press, Construction Site, Creative Editions, Cristal Sanchez, Crown, Dan Vidra, Dana Adkins Pan, Diversion Books, Doubleday, Elise Damasco, Ellen Chodosh, Ellie VandenBerg, Eric Huard, Eric Schwartz, Evan Phail, Fantasia Brown, First Second, Fortress Press. John Rahm, Frankie Karnedy, Good Book Company, Goodnight, Google, Google Books, Hachette Audio, Hachette Book Group, Haley Lynch, Hannah Perrin, Hans Weyandt, HarperCollins, HarperCollins Children's Books, Heavier Than Heaven: The Biography of Kurt Cobain, Helen Thomaides, Highlights for Children, Hogarth, Houghton Mifflin, Ingrid Paredes, Itasca Books, Jamie Lescht, Jerry Jensen, Jessica Rodriguez, John Marshall Media, Jules Kelly, Kaitlin Kneafsey, Katie Sheehan, Kevin Hamric, Kogan Page, Leigh Marchant, Lerner Publishing Group, Mary Colgan, Math Monahan, Matthew Derr, Maya Fernandez, Minnesota Historical Society Press, Modern Library, Mollie Weisenfeld, Molly McLaughlin, Natalia Olbinski, Natalie Weaver, New Leaf Literary & Media, New York Times, Nicholas Sweeney, Nick Bannister, NYU API, NYU Press, Orca Book Publishing, Oriel Voegele, Parallax Press, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House, Penguin Young Readers, Port Hawkesbury Paper, Public Affairs, Random House, Random House Children’s Books. Megan Mitchell, Reader's Digest, Rebecca Frazer, Richard Kitson, Ryan Hemmer, Scholastic, Sean Maher, Serendipity Literary Agency, Shannon Spann, Simon & Schuster, Simon & Schuster. Dan Kosack, Skokie Public Library, Sourcebooks, Spencer Hanson, Springer Nature, Susan Watt, Susan Wokcicki, Tishana Knight, Tom Mis, Trinica Sampson-Vera, Union Square & Co., Viking, VIZ Media, W. W. Norton, Yale Publishing Course, YouTube

People Round Up, Early August 2024

By PT Editors

August 5, 2024

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PEOPLE

Bob Miller, founder, president, and publisher of Flatiron Books is leaving the company. Celadon president and publisher Deb Futter will be Miller’s replacement and will now be president and publisher of Celadon Books & Flatiron Books.

At Simon & Schuster, Eliza Kirby has joined Weldon Owen as editor. She was formerly editor at Rebel Girls. Ashley Herzig has joined as national account manager for Amazon. Alex Yokom, formerly buyer at Browser Bookshop, is joining as telesales account manager for the western region. Jerry Jensen, national accounts manager has left the company.

Hachette Book Group, Sophie Cottrell, SVP of corporate communications will leave the company at the end of August after working for the company for the past 35 years. Raquel Pelzel will join Voracious as editorial director on September 3rd, reporting to Michael Szczerban. She was previously editorial director for cooking at Clarkson Potter. Mollie Weisenfeld, associate editor, is leaving the company.

Open Road Media sees Christine Gillespie as SVP and publisher reporting to CEO David Steinberger, overseeing their publishing catalog, co-publishing partnerships, and initiatives in audio and licensing. Mara Anastas will now be VP, special projects, reporting to Steinberger.

Words Without Borders has announced Elisabeth Jaquette as the new executive director. Jaquette is the first professional literary translator to serve as executive director. She will begin her new role on September 1, 2024. Jaquette currently serves as the executive director of the American Literary Translators Association, an organization she has led since 2017.

At Penguin Random House, Gillian Arthur has joined Crown as proofreader and copy editor. Mia Gelb has joined Random House Children’s Books as marketing assistant for licensed and proprietary brands.

At Macmillan Publishers, Alexis Neuville is joining St. Martin’s Publishing Creative Studio as manager for audience experience. Mac Nicholas is joining as manager for audience development. Macey Best has joined as inventory analyst for supply chain. Jasmine Cabrera has joined as inventory specialist. Kemdi O’koro as senior finance analyst. Kylie Thalheimer has joined as sales assistant. Hallie Young has joined as assistant for academic and library marketing. Anaka Allen has joined as a contracts associate.

At Sourcebooks, Corrin Bronersky has joined as publishing marketing assistant. Shaina Olmanson has joined as senior editor for Bloom Books.

Created by Humans sees Mark Bryant, formerly editor at large at Scribd, join as author relations lead. Matthew Moore has joined as general counsel.

At PJ Library, Brian Buerkle has been named global publisher relations manager. He will still continue to act as buyer for international and domestic titles.

Tattered Cover, CFO Brad Dempsey and COO Jeremy Patlen have left the company. Derek Holland has been named managing director, responsible for all book selling operations. He will also be the senior store manager at the Colfax location. Individual store managers have also been confirmed: Katie Bierzychudek at Colfax; Scott Patnesky at Aspen Grove, and John Michael Wolter at Stanley Market Place.

At Stanford University Press starting September 1s the press will be represented wholesale and trade retail by the Columbia University Press Sales Consortium. Ingram Academic and Professional will continue to handle distribution and fulfillment.

Interlink Publishing, founders Michel and Ruth Moushabeck have transferred ownership of the company to their three daughters Leyla, Hannah, and Maha, and son-in-law Harrison Williams

At Kirkus Reviews, John McMurtie became nonfiction editor on August 1st, reporting to editor in chief Tom Beer. He was senior editor at Zyzzyva and was previously the books editor at the San Francisco Chronicle until 2019.

In Agency News…

Taryn Fagerness Agency sees Christine Perry join as an associate agent. She was previously a senior scout at Barbara Tolley and Associates.

PROMOTIONS

At Simon & Schuster, Doug Stambaugh has been promoted to SVP for corporate development and business operations. Amy Rohn has been promoted to national accounts manager.

At Macmillan Publishers, Megan Lynch has been promoted to EVP and publisher of Flatiron Books, reporting to Futter. Ana Couto has been promoted to marketing associate at St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Stephen Erickson has been promoted to marketing manager at St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Angela Hinck has been promoted to associate manager for marketing and sales operations. Kukuwa Fraser has been promoted to editor at Flatiron Books. Cristina Cushing has been promoted to associate sales director. Christine Jaeger has been promoted to VP for merchandising and distribution.

HarperCollins, Edie Astley has been promoted to associate editor at Harper. Katie O’ Callaghan has been promoted to executive director of marketing at Harper. Amanada Pritzker is being promoted to executive director of marketing at Harper. Tom Hopke has been promoted to director of marketing at Harper. Jessica Gilo has been promoted to director of marketing at Harper. Becca Putman has been promoted to director of marketing at Harper. Lindsey Reeder has been promoted to marketing director at Harlequin Trade Publishing. Julie Paulauski has been promoted to assistant director of publicity at the Morrow Group. Robby Imfeld has been promoted to senior marketing director at HarperCollins Children’s Books. Taylan Salvati has been promoted to senior publicity manager. Anna Ravenelle has been promoted to publicist. Abby Dommert has been promoted to publicist. Lisa Calcasola has been promoted to senior marketing associate for the teen team at HarperCollins Children’s Books.

At Penguin Random House, Rob Valois has been promoted to VP, associate publisher, and editorial director of Penguin Workshop. Sydney Collins has been promoted to associate editor for Ballantine.

Girl Friday Productions has promoted Dave Valencia to co-owner and COO.

Yale University Press has promoted Adina Popescu to executive editor.

DULY NOTED

The IBPA Book Award for it’s 37th year has announced seven new categories recognizing marginalized communities, namely: AAPI, Black/African American, Disabled, First Nations/Indigenous, Latina/o/e, LGBTQIA2+, and Neurodivergent. The entry deadline is September 30 for books published January-September 2024, and December 16 for books published October-December 2024. More details at https://www.ibpabookaward.org/

East Bay Booksellers in Oakland, CA was destroyed due to a fire. A GoFundMe has been set up to help rebuild the store. The fundraiser has a goal of $200,000, with more than $36,000 raised in the first 24 hours.

Sweet Valley High creator Francine Pascal, 92, died on July 28th.

Irish author Edna O’Brien, 93, died on July 27th. She won the Irish PEN lifetime achievement award in 2001 and the PEN/Nabokov award for achievement in international literature in 2018.

EVENTS

Bienal Internacional do Livro de São Paulo

Aug 6- 15

São Paulo, BR

Ghana International Book Fair

Aug 8-11

Accra, Ghana

World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon)

Aug 8- 12

Glasgow, UK

Edinburgh International Book Fair

Aug 10-25