Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 09/02-09/06

Every 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.

Neil Gaiman’s “The Graveyard Book” Hits a Dead End as Disney Shelves Movie 

Stephen King Speaks Out as He Joins Growing List of Banned Authors in Florida

 Why is NaNoWriMo’s Stance on Ai Problematic? 

Would You Bribe Your Child to Read? 

Sam Spade’s Story to Continue Once in Public Domain

People Round Up, Early September, 2024

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 PublishersPaul 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.

 

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

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

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 08/26-08/30

Every 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 Hobart, NY Transformed Into a Book Lover’s Paradise

How Translating Small Languages is No Small Task 

Should Author Profiles Replace Book Criticism?

The Censorship Battle in Florida Continues as US Publishers Sue 

Will Fantasy Continue to Find Strong Sales This Fall? 

 

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 08/19-08/23

Every 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.

Exploring and the Celebrating the World of Janet Frame at 100 

The Ghostwriting Goodbye- How Author Leslie Jamison Finished Rebecca Godfrey’s Last Work

Barnes & Noble’s Hot Streak Continues 

How Did Ireland Become a Literary Powerhouse?

Are Bookstores a Waste of Space?

 

People Round Up, Mid August 2024

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 HouseTom 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

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 08/12-08/16

Every 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.

 

The BookTok Boom: Adult Fiction Sales Soar to New Heights

Hugo Awards 2024: Who Took Home the Top Honors?

What Makes a Thriller Thrilling?

The Book Bar Buzz- A Look at Their Success 

President Obama’s Summer Reading List & Playlist Have Dropped- Did Your Favorites Make it?

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 08/05-08/09

Every 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.

 

100 Years of Baldwin- What to Read to Celebrate His Legacy

 

Utah Outlaws Books in First Statewide Ban

 

Open Road Integrated Media to Offer Geo-targeting for Banned Books

 

Latino Authors Making Waves in Children’s Books 

 

Meet ‘Maven’ Audible’s Ai-Powered Search Feature 

People Round Up, Early August 2024

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 AmazonAlex 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

Edinburgh, UK

 

Feira do Livro do Porto

Aug 23- Sep 8

Crystal Palace Gardens, PT

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 07/29-08/02

Every 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.

The Booker Longlist Has Arrived Who Made the Cut?

Salman Rushdie and His Thoughts on Censorship in America

Will You ‘Publish or Perish’ in New Academic Publishing Game?

First Ladies Off to The Publishing Races

Did You Know Poetry Used to Be an Olympic Sport?

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 07/22-07/26

Every 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.

The Thrill of Poisoned Pages and The Poison Project 

Dems Decide and Kamala Harris’ Book Sales Soar 

Fourth Wing Wins Big at BookTok Awards 

Are Audiobooks Helping Sales? – Spotify CEO Remains Optimistic

Researchers Find Ai Boosts Creativity but at What Cost?