People Round Up, Early April, 2024

PEOPLE

Penguin Random House, Anna Paustenbach will join Avery Publishing as executive editor on April 1st. She was previously executive editor at Harper One. Jen Schwabinger, VP and director, sales development is departing after 40 years with the company. Valerie Van Delft, SVP of logistics, will retire this August. Alison Martin is named SVP of customer solutions, analytics, projects, and strategy, and Jeanie Wood will report to her. Tiffany Liao has joined as executive editor for Random House Children’s. She was most recently an executive editor at Zando Young Readers. At Random House, Sara Birmingham will join May 6 as executive editor, reporting to VP editor in chief Ben Greenburg and working closely with editorial director Caitlin McKenna, to expand the fiction list. She was previously at Ecco. John Sicilliano is now executive editor for Viking and Penguin Life, in addition to his current title of executive editor for Penguin Classics and Penguin Books. At Clarkson Potter, Emma Brodie has joined as executive editor. At Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Ciara Tomlinson joins Pantheon as an associate publicist. She was previously at St. Martin’s.

 

The New Press announced that Ellen Adler is leaving at the end of September, after 21 years at the press.

 

At Simon & Schuster, Allen Lindstrom has been named executive VP, CFO, starting April 22. He will also join Simon & Schuster’s executive committee. He has been CFO at  Barnes & Noble for the past 11 years.  Joy de Menil has joined as VP and executive editor of Avid Reader Press. She was previously director of Belknap Publishing at Harvard University Press

 

At Hachette Book Group, Pierre Leroy is retiring as deputy chief executive officer. He now serves as advisor to CEO Arnaud Lagardère. Working at Lagardère for 54 years, Leroy had been chair and CEO of Hachette Livre  from 2021 to 2023 as well. Jennifer Trzaska will join as imprint sales director for Little, Brown, Running Press Group, and Workman Publishing. She was previously at Penguin Random House as imprint sales director of the Penguin Publishing Group.

 

At Macmillan Publishers, Nicholas Chubb has joined the IT team as manager, security operations. Kaitlin Connolly has joined the royalties team as manager. Gus Shlimbaum has joined the IT team as senior product manager.

 

At HarperCollins, Laura Schreiber has joined as executive editor of Avon. Caroline Weishuhn has joined as editor, reporting to Doug Jones. She will acquire fiction and select nonfiction for the Perennial and Harper lists. She was previously at Ballantine. At HarperOne, Nina Shield will join as VP, editorial director, starting April 22. She was most recently executive director at Tarcher Perigee and Avery.

 

At the New York Times, Trish Daly has joined as book development editor. She was previously senior editor at Portfolio.

 

At Chronicle Books, Emily Daluga has joined as editor, children’s. 

 

Podium Audio has named Kate Runde head of acquisitions and Shannon Frost has been named director, growth marketing.

 

At Broadside PR, Kate Lloyd has joined as literary publicist. She has been an independent publicist since 2011 and was previously deputy director of publicity at Scribner.

 

At RB Media, Michael Paull joins as CEO. He was most recently the president of Disney’s direct to consumer businesses overseeing Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.

 

At Storytel, board chair Hans-Holger Albrecht will not run for reelection at the company’s annual meeting in May. The company will search for a replacement in time for the meeting.

 

At Scholastic, Alix Guerrier and Kaya Henderson have been appointed to the board. Guerrier is the CEO of DonorsChoose. Henderson is the CEO of Reconstruction US. Jenna German has joined as junior designer.

 

At Astra Publishing, Emily Bell will join as editorial director of  Astra House on April 15. She was previously head of editorial at Zando until earlier this year.

Laura Fitzgerald has joined as marketing and publicity manager at DAW Books. They previously worked at Tor, Orbit, Redhook, and Yen Press

 

At Gemini Books Group, Lisa Dyer has joined as publisher. She was previously at Hachette. Heidi Lowde has been appointed group production director. She was previously production director at Imagine That. Dan Graham has been named publisher, Gemini Children’s Books. He was previously publishing director at Imagine That.

 

Sourcebooks is launching a new children’s book imprint, broadly publishing fiction, nonfiction, and graphic titles across age categories. Joining Sourcebooks on April 11 to build the imprint are two editorial staffers from Katherine Tegen Books: Ben Rosenthal, who was editorial director, and Mabel Hsu, who was executive editor. They will report to Sourcebooks editorial director Jenne Abramowitz. Asia Barnes has joined as technical support specialist I. Julie Schrader has joined as associate art director. Kelsey Fenske has joined as purchasing logistics manager.

 

At Abrams, Aria Devlin has joined as assistant editor.

 

At Zando, Liz Eriksson has joined as senior contracts manager, reporting to Dennis Lee

 

At Interlink Publishing Group, Hannah Moushabeck has joined in a newly created role handling marketing, publicity, and special projects. She was previously independent retail marketing manager at Simon & Schuster.

 

At Andrews McMeel Publishing, Amanda Meadows has joined as editor. She was previously at Oni-Lion Forge and co-founder of The Devastator.

In Agency News…

At WME, Eve Attermann has been promoted to partner in the books department. 

 

At Storm Literary Agency, Sheila Fernley has joined as an associate agent.

 

At Tobias Literary Agency, Danai Christopoulou has been promoted to assistant literary agent.

 

At Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency, Ariella Datz has been promoted to agent.

 

At Aevitas Creative Management, Rubin Pfeffer Content has joined ACM, Rubin Pfeffer joins as executive agent at large, and his colleague Amy Thrall Flynn joins as senior agent.

 

At Maria B. Campbell Associates, Jennifer Custer joins as director of the London office. She has led UK scouting at Eccles Fisher Associates.

 

At Transatlantic Agency, Jo Ramsay joins as literary agent representing adult fiction and nonfiction. Ramsay previously was a literary assistant to Carly Watters at P.S. Literary Agency.

 

PROMOTIONS

At Macmillan Publishers, Henry Holt has promoted Caroline Zancan to executive editor. Laura Flavin has been promoted to senior director, marketing. Clarissa Long has been promoted to senior manager, publicity. At St. Martin’s Publishing Group, Brigitte Dale is promoted to associate editor. Drue VanDuker, Claire Cheek, and Grace Gay are promoted to assistant editor. Alexis Neuville is promoted to manager, marketing. Kirsi Balazs is promoted to manager, marketing & sales operations. Jonathan Bush and Young Lim are promoted to art director. Chris Scheina is promoted to director of subsidiary rights. Emily Miller is promoted to associate, foreign rights. At Reactor (formerly Tor.com), Emmet Asher-Perrin has been promoted to senior editor, news & entertainment. Christina Orlando has been promoted to senior editor, books coverage. Leah Schnelbach has been promoted to senior editor, features. Stefan Raets has been promoted to senior production editor. At Macmillan Children’s, At First Second Books, Robyn Chapman has been promoted to senior editor. At Holt Children’s, Mark Podesta has been promoted to editor. Lindsey Whitt has been promoted to senior designer. Mia Moran has been promoted to senior production editor. Elysse Villalobos has been promoted to marketing manager on the School & Library Marketing team. Johanna Allen has been promoted to director of account marketing. Leigh Ann Higgins has been promoted to associate manager, marketing. Nicole Schaefer has been promoted to senior manager, account marketing. At Flatiron, Alexus Blanding has been promoted to associate publicist. 

 

At Simon & Schuster, Lucy Nalen has been promoted to senior publicist at Gallery Books. Scribner has promoted Georgia Brainard to publicist.

 

At Penguin Random House, Tracey Presley has been promoted to SVP of global transportation and logistics reporting to EVP Annette Danek. At Berkeley, Craig Burke has been promoted to VP, associate publisher.  Sareer Khader has been promoted to editor. Jessica Mangicaro has been promoted to associate director of marketing. Bridget O’Toole has been promoted to associate director of digital marketing. At Random House Children’s, Cat Reynolds has been promoted to senior editor on the Dr.Seuss Publishing team. Jena Debois has been promoted to manager, marketing licenses & proprietary brands. At Penguin Children’s, Jenna Smith has been promoted to publicist. At Clarkson Potter, Robert Diaz has been promoted to senior designer. Mia Johnson has been promoted to associate art director. At Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Demetri Papadimitropoulos has been promoted to publicist at Pantheon. Elka Roderick has been promoted to associate publicist at Knopf.

 

At Hachette Book Group, Lauren Shade has been promoted to assistant marketing director. Michelle Forde has been promoted to senior marketing manager. Sarah Alli has been promoted to associate marketing manager. Kenzie Sena has been promoted to marketing & sales associate. Lindsay Ricketts has been promoted to manager, trade frontlist Boulder. Elizabeth Blue Guess has been promoted to the newly created role of imprint sales director, working with Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Books, Hachette Nashville, Basic Books Group, and Orbit. At Basic Books Group, Jessica Breen is promoted to executive director of marketing. Chin-Yee Lai is promoted to creative director. Emmily O’Connor is promoted to designer. Kristen Kim is promoted to assistant editor. Jaime Leifer is promoted to VP and associate publisher. At Little, Brown Children’s, Kelly Moran has been promoted to publicity manager. Hannah Klein has been promoted to senior publicist.

 

At HarperCollins, Jackie Quaranto has been promoted to assistant editor at Harper, and will work with Sarah Stein and Sean Desmond. At Ecco, Rachel Sargent has been promoted to associate editor. At HarperCollins Children’s, Allison Brown has been promoted to associate director, production. Kristen Eckhardt has been promoted to associate director, production. Melissa Cicchitelli has been promoted to senior manager, production. At W Publishing, Carrie Marrs has been promoted to associate publisher. Lisa-Jo Baker has been promoted to senior acquisitions editor.

 

At Bloomsbury, Jennifer Choi has been promoted to Rights Director, Andrew Nguyen has been promoted to Rights Manager, Katya Mezhibovskaya has been promoted to Associate Art Director, Suzanne Keller has been promoted to Production Editor, and Katie Vaughn has been promoted to Marketing Manager for their adult trade division. Erica Chan has been promoted to Executive Designer for Bloomsbury’s Trade and Special Interest divisions. Rachel Ewen has been promoted to Marketing and Publicity Director for Bloomsbury’s Special Interest, Osprey, and Head of Zeus divisions. María Núñez has been promoted to Assistant Editor for Fairchild Books. Hali Han has been promoted to Assistant Editor for Literary Studies at Bloomsbury Academic. Rachel Moore has been promoted to Acquisitions Editor for Music and Sound Studies at Bloomsbury Academic. Jennifer Hutchinson has been promoted to Editorial Specialist in the ABC-CLIO editorial database team. Ellie Scott has been promoted to Assistant Marketing Manager at Bloomsbury Academic. At Bloomsbury Children’s, Camille Kellogg has been promoted to senior editor. Jeanette Levy has been promoted to associate art director.

 

At Chronicle Books, Lizzie Vaughan has been promoted to art director. Alexandria Martinez has been promoted to senior graphic and production designer. Juliette Capra has been promoted to assistant editor. Jessica Tackett has been promoted to senior marketing manager. Janice Yi has been promoted to social media manager. Gabriella Frenes has been promoted to social media coordinator. Reg Lim has been promoted to marketing coordinator. Deborah Kenmore has been promoted to inventory control manager. Zora Driscoll has been promoted to subsidiary rights coordinator.

 

At Norton, Helen Thomaides is promoted to associate editor. Nneoma Amadi-obi is promoted to associate editor. Mo Crist is promoted to associate editor.

 

At Abrams, Frank Albanese has been promoted to SVP, supply chain. Allison Gervais, director, production, and Sarah Masterson Hally, promoted to associate director, production. Maggie Moore is promoted to associate production manager and Hayley Earnest is promoted to production associate.

 

At Independent Publishers Group, Walt Braley has been promoted to accounts receivable manager. Kristen Noon has been promoted from to director, credit & collections. Mai Yang has been promoted to accounts payable associate. Tashina Richardson has been promoted to senior manager, supply chain. Travis Hale has been promoted to trade sales representative, central. Alicia McCray has been promoted to director, human resources.

 

At Holiday House, Peachtree, and Pixel+Ink, Kayla Phillips has been promoted to publicity coordinator.

 

At Candlewick Press, Lydia Abel has been promoted to editor. Juan Botero has been promoted to assistant editor. Olivia Swomley has been promoted to senior editor. 

 

At Sourcebooks, Laura Boren has been promoted to production designer III. Tara Jaggers has been promoted to production designer II. Antoaneta Georgieva has been promoted to senior designer. Michelle Mayhall has been promoted to associate art director. Emily Proano has been promoted to senior production editor.

 

DULY NOTED

HarperCollins has partnered with Storiaverse, a mobile app that creates immersive, animated content in a patent-pending  ‘read-watch’ format.

 

Elizabeth Bryant  has launched Truant Media, an editorial services business focused on literary writing, from book manuscripts to shorter works. She previously worked as senior editor at Harper’s Magazine

 

BISG Industry Study Group announced the recipients of its Industry Awards, to be honored at the organization’s annual meeting on April 12: Phil Ollila, chief commercial and content officer at Ingram Content Group, will receive the Sally Dedecker Award for Lifetime Service. Author Walter Mosley will receive the Industry Champion Award. Scribd will receive the Industry Innovator Award

 

Cassie Malmo has launched Malmo Public Relations. She was previously associate publicity director at Little, Brown Children’s

 

EVENTS

Mar 28-Apr 8

Bangkok International Book Fair

Bangkok, Thailand

April 8-11

Bologna Children’s Book Fair

Bologna, Italy

April 10-14

Eurasian International Book Fair

Astana, Kazakhstan

April 17- May 2

Bogotá International Book Fair

Bogotá, Columbia

April 18-21

Tulsa Lit Festival 

Tulsa, OK

April 20-21

L.A. Times Festival of Books

Los Angeles, CA

April 25-27

IBPA Publishing University

Denver, CO

April 26-28

Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo

Chicago, IL

April 29

PEN America Literary Awards

New York, NY

April 29-May 5

Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

Abu Dhabi, UAE

 

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 04/01-04/05

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. 

3 Body Problem’s Lawyer is Sentenced for Murder

 

Horror Sales are Booming- Why Readers are Resonating with the Genre 

 

How Does Book Design Decisions Impact the Environment? 

 

Another Summer of Striking on the Horizon?- OUP and B&N Continue to Organize 


The Lessons From Hundreds of Writers

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 03/25-03/29

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. 

Oxford English Dictionary Adds 23 New Words 

Reading Initiative Drives Children and YA Sales 

Vermont Set to Pass Library Bill 

What is the Best AI Story Generator?

What are the Numbers?- AAP 2023-2024 Statshot Released

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 03/18-03/22

Ever 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 is Fabulism?

 

Publishers Try to Oppose Internet Archives Appeal Again 

 

What are the Big Take Aways of the London Book Fair?  

 

Why is Russian Literature so Popular?

 

Understanding the Rise of Romantasy Before BookTok

People Round Up, Mid March, 2024

PEOPLE

Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe will exit his role once his contract expires in 2026.

 

At Penguin Random House, Suzanne Herz is rejoining Penguin Random House as publisher of John Grisham, on April 15th, and will report to chief revenue officer Jaci Updike. Alessandra Scarpaci has joined Random House Children’s Books as publicity assistant. At Putnam, Regina Andreoni has joined as marketing manager. Sofie Parker has joined Putnam as marketing assistant. Marisa Nakasone has joined Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group as designer.  Cassie Gitkins has joined Random House Publishing Group as production editor. At Dutton, David Howe has joined as associate editor.

 

At Hyperion, Chelsea Cutchens has joined Hyperion Avenue as editor. 

 

ReaderLink Distribution: Lakshmi Jiddu has joined as D365 Finance and operations developer.

 

At Titan Publishing, Rosanna Anness has joined as head of rights, she was formerly publishing manager at Hasbro

 

At Abrams, Clarie Stetzer has joined as editor; she was formerly editor at Inkyard Press. Shea Dunlop has joined as sales assistant.  Kristi Iwashiro has joined as ComicArts editor, formerly she was the translation manager at J-Novel Club. Evelyn Lema has joined as senior financial analyst, she was formerly senior financial analyst at Amazon.

 

Megan Zimlich is being promoted to senior manager of digital content at Kensington Publishing

 

Chronicle Books has named Christina Amini as publisher of gift and she will also work in partnership with Chronicle’s Games & Toys.

 

At IPG, Julia Dillman has joined as administrative assistant, Kenneth Duncan has joined as digital marketing coordinator, and Megan Trank has joined as client manager for financial statements.

 

At Open Road Integrated Media, Hazel De Leon has joined as marketing coordinator for sales channels.

 

At Guilford Press, Lilith Dorko has joined as senior editor for social psychology; she was formerly executive editor for psychology at Rowman & Littlefield

 

Kayla White has joined as managing editor associate at Zando Publishing. She was previously managing editorial assistant at Abrams.

 

At Wroteby.me, Rachel Bell has joined as go to market consultant.

 

At Phaidon, Audrée Damiba is joining as marketing manager. At Monacelli, Caroline Jones is joining as marketing and publicity assistant.

 

The American Booksellers Association announced Preethi Kannath has joined the education team as lead instructional designer.

 

In Agency News…

At Laura Dail Literary Agency, Jennifer Udden has joined as literary agent. She was previously a freelance editor, and previously an agent at New Leaf Literary & Media

 

At LCS Literary Services, Kimberly Latrice Jones has joined as an associate agent, she previously authored I’m Not Dying With You Tonight.

 

PROMOTIONS

At Simon & Schuster, Lara Jones has been promoted to senior editor at Emily Bestler Books

 

Penguin Random House promotions: Lauren Weber, has been promoted to executive director,brand development, and will report to Suzanne Herz. Maralee Diana is being promoted to publishing associate at Penguin Publishing Group. Vanessa Haughton has been promoted to editor at Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Katrina Damkoehler has been promoted to associate art director at Random House Children’s Books.

 

Hachette Book Group promotions: Lauren Kisare has been promoted to assistant editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Patrick Hulse has been promoted to designer at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Savannah Kennelly and Christie Michel have been promoted to senior manager of school and library marketing at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Ruqayyah Daud has been promoted to editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Jessica Anderson has been promoted to senior editor, Jenny Kimura has been promoted to associate art director, Cheryl Lew has been promoted to associate director of publicity, and Lisa Yoskowitz has been promoted to VP and executive editorial director at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Hachette Audio has promoted Jasmine Normil to publicity and marketing coordinator. Laura Essex has been promoted to audio editor, Charles McCrorey has been promoted to studio manager and audio operations associate, Ghenet Harvey has been promoted to senior audio production associate, and  Michelle Figueroa has been promoted to senior audio production associate at Hachette Audio. At Black Dog & Leventhal, Katie Benezra has been promoted to art director. Scott Trebing has been promoted to production manager. Shay Brown has been promoted to senior reprint manager. Jennifer Tordy has been promoted to production manager of trade frontlist. Kenzie Sena has been promoted to marketing and sales associate. Lauren Shade has been promoted to assistant marketing director. Michelle Forde has been promoted to senior marketing manager. Sarah Alli has been promoted to marketing associate.

 

At Macmillan Publishers, Patrick Nielson Hayden has become editor-at-large for Tor Publishing Group. Miriam Weinberg has been promoted to executive editor of Tor. Troix Jackson has been promoted to assistant editor and Dianna Vega has been promoted to assistant editor. Jenna Johnson has been promoted to SVP, editor-in-chief at Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (FSG). Eric Chinski, has been promoted to editorial director, nonfiction at FSG. Na Kim has been promoted to creative director at FSG.  Alex Merto has been promoted to senior art director at Picador. Jonathan Woolen has been promoted to associate marketing manager at FSG. Isabella Miranda has been promoted to senior manager of subsidiary rights at FSG. Bri Panzica has been promoted to senior production editor at FSG.

 

At Candlewick Press, Rachel Wood has been promoted to assistant art director.

 

IPG, Bianca Rodriguez has been promoted to marketing assistant. Valerie Pedroche has been promoted to associate publicist. Adam Barresse has been promoted to senior digital services associate. Casey Park has been promoted to digital services manager. Qassye Inwood has been promoted to digital print manager.

 

Phaidon, Ellie Levine is being promoted to director of marketing and digital initiatives.  Eva Baron is being promoted to publicist.

 

At Quirk Books, Jhanteigh Kupihea has been promoted to president and publisher. Nicole De Jackmo has been promoted to EVP, deputy publisher. David Borgenicht has moved into the role of chairman and founder.

 

At Orbit Books, Bradley Englert has been promoted to executive editor and Angela Man has been promoted to senior publicist.

DULY NOTED

Zando is launching their romance imprint, Slowburn and will aim to publish 2 to 3 books per season. Hayley Wagreich, director of original development at Zando, and Sierra Stovall, director of rights at Zando, are co-directors of Slowburn. Nicole Otto, who joined Zando senior editor and was previously a senior creative executive at Realm, and TJ Ohler, assistant editor at Zando, will work closely with Wagreich and Stovall.

 

Akira Toriyama, Manga creator of Dragon Ball Z died at 68 on March 1st due to an acute subdural hematoma. 

 

EVENTS

Mar 20-24

Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival

New Orleans, LA

Mar 20-24

Virginia Festival of the Book

Charlottesville, VA

Mar 21-24

Leipzig Book Fair

Leipzig, Germany

Mar 22-24

Romantasy Book Festival

Chicago, IL

Mar 26

Story Prize

New York, NY

Mar 28-Apr 8

Bangkok International Book Fair

Bangkok, Thailand

Mar 29-31

WonderCon

Anaheim, CA

Apr 3-5

Public Library Association Conference

Columbus, OH

Apr 4-7

Foire du Livre de Bruxelles

Brussels, Belgium

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 03/11-03/15

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.

Why is the Gig Economy a Risky Model for Those in Publishing? 

The London Book Fair Highlighted the Book Adaption Hype 

The Great American Novel- Who Made the Cut? 

Authors Pushback on Growing Amazon Sales for  AI Books 

Pay Respects or Print?- Where is the Line for Publishing Posthumously?

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 03/04-03/08

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.

Gabriel García Márquez Never Wanted His Story Published- Why His Son Felt Differently 

World Reading Day Finds Children Put Off Reading For Pleasure 

Before Popcorn and Oscars There Were The Stories That Inspired Them 

 

PEN America Announces Paul Simon Will Receive Literary Service Award 

Amazon E-book Lawsuit Trimmed

Job Hunt Prep for the Unprepared

Although our firm, Market Partners International (MPI), does a lot of different kinds of consulting, we’re known for recruiting.  We’ve found presidents, publishers, publicists, and production pros – you get the drift.  As a result, we’re often the first call after someone is laid off or fired, or just restless.  And because we talk to people in various stages of their search for a new job opportunity, we are able to gauge who is likely to land somewhere and thrive, rather than spin their wheels until they give up or take whatever comes along, regardless of the fit.

Some who are laid off are given the option of outplacement.  Take it; the one-on-one coaching, access to courses, opportunity to network and practical help with resume writing and LinkedIn profile development are very helpful.  If you aren’t offered it by your company, ask for it.  

If this isn’t an option, there are ways to approximate some of these services.  Most job boards, like Indeed and LinkedIn offer resume building tips for little or no money.  But a surefire way to improve your LinkedIn profile is to look at profiles of colleagues whose job titles are similar to yours.  

Two areas that don’t always get attention are the “About” section and the “Contact” section.  The former should be robust (boastful!) and the latter should include an email address (and if you have one, a website) so that people can reach you without going through in-platform messaging.  

It’s always surprising to find that people who are not actively job-hunting don’t feel the need to create a fleshed-out profile.  Does that mean you never want to be approached about an opportunity, or you want to wait until you’re playing catch-up, after the pink slip? Plus, having a good profile makes it easier to engage with other industry colleagues whom you might meet at parties and conferences.  

Meanwhile, be aware of applicant tracking systems – which many companies use to weed out applicants.  How to game the system so that your resume isn’t held up before it lands on the right executive’s desk?  Julie Blattberg, a senior advisor to MPI and a metadata expert, reminds us that it’s important to add relevant keywords to your profile, resume, and cover letter. “Consider the work you do and your areas of expertise. Then, think like a recruiter—or a search engine. Use industry- and role-specific terms. For example, a senior marketer might include “management experience,” “content strategy,” and “customer acquisition”—phrases that can be easily understood by humans and identified by filters.”

Remember that some companies use software to process and prioritize inbound applications before a human ever lies eyes on any individual’s documents.

So when applying for a specific role, she added: “It’s a good idea to mirror language in the published job description, but only do so where pertinent to you and your experience. When updating a dusty resume, look for keywords and verbiage from job specs of roles you aspire to.”  

 

“Open to Work” or not?

There’s much debate about whether to add this label to your LinkedIn profile.  While nowadays there’s pretty much no stigma about being unemployed, someone who is casually liking your post or comment may think twice if he or she anticipates a follow-up request for help in your search.  

On the other hand, people who are hiring – whether full time or part time, will have you on their radar.  Speaking of part-time, some job seekers don’t want to take on a consulting job for fear it will interfere with their search or that they’ll land a job before the project is done.  Neither is an issue, especially if you’re clear about your end goal of full-time work.  

Taking on consulting work will keep you engaged and, ideally, gives you a potential reference who can speak to your strengths.  As for leaving a gig for a full-time job, fear not — other consultants will happily take on the project.

 

What makes a good candidate?

What makes a good job seeker?  Some qualities are obvious:  a candidate who’s well prepared, with an updated resume and LinkedIn profile, and a clear idea of which skills are needed to perform the job.  

Todd Berman, a former VP Sales Director at Penguin Random House who just landed a position at a university press, also thinks it’s important to know what you liked in previous positions, and what you want from your next job. He credits Phyl Terry’s Never Search Alone: The Job Seeker’s Playbook with focusing his efforts so that he could enunciate that when he networked.  Terry has created more than a thousand Job Search Councils which individuals can join at no cost other than the price of the book. In Berman’s group there were five people from disparate industries who met once a week to provide feedback, coaching and perhaps most importantly, structure, to the search process.  All five have found jobs since they started their group less than six months ago.  

While an applicant’s belief that an opportunity is worth pursuing is key, keep in mind that the job doesn’t exist simply as a great fit for your aspirations.  And regardless of how the interviews go, everyone should get a “thank-you” email.  A client recently turned down a candidate who neglected that step, because she was deemed “insufficiently eager” for the job.  This lapse was especially flagrant as the candidate was interviewing for a publicity role; a PR pro would know that relationship management tactics like TY notes are table stakes during the interview process.

But getting to the hiring manager often takes more than belief in a good alignment of aspiration and job description and a great resume.  It usually involves extensive networking.  One person looking for a job tells us that he has a spreadsheet of people he’s contacted, when he first talked with them, what they discussed, and when a follow-up is appropriate.  (We have had people contact us more than once without remembering our previous conversations.)  

When talking to a potential networking contact, it’s important to make it a dialogue; that person has a job, a life, and a network too.  It’s also important to briefly recount your “story” – whether your path to unemployment or (as the case may be) concern about potential unemployment.  

Finally, a follow-up email is always appreciated, and job seekers who then tell their network that they’ve snagged a terrific position thanks to their help, are spreading good karma – which even the most seasoned networker or hardened recruiter will appreciate.

 

Good luck!

People Round Up, Early March, 2024

PEOPLE

Co-Founders Madeline McIntosh, Nina von Moltke and Don Weisberg announced the launch of Authors Equity, a new collaborative book publisher.  McIntosh holds the title of CEO and Publisher, von Moltke is President and Weisberg is Senior Advisor. In addition Robin Desser has been named Editorial Advisor, 

Carly Gorga is Chief Marketing Officer and Andrea Bachofen has the role of COO.  All had served at one point in their careers at Penguin Random House, though Weisberg was most recently at Macmillan and Bachofen at Amazon.

 

At One Signal Publishers, Alessandra Bastagli, has joined as VP and publisher, she was previously editorial director at Astra House. She succeeds founding publisher Julia Cheiffetz

 

At Simon & Schuster, Ali Cutrone, formerly executive director of online sales at Hachette Book Group, is joining as VP of digital and online sales. Sara Barley, formerly editorial director of young adult publishing at Flatiron Books, will join Simon & Schuster as editorial director of a new imprint under S & S Books for Young Readers, effective April 8th.  Kevin Hanson, president and publisher of Simon & Schuster Canada is leaving the company after almost two decades. And Felicia Quon, previously VP of marketing and communications at Simon & Schuster Canada, has joined Page Two as sales director.

 

At Macmillan Publishers, Roger Priddy, publisher of Priddy Books, will retire on June 30, after which he will continue to work with the imprint as an author and consultant. Sally Poulson will lead both imprints, Priddy Books and Neon Squid as managing director. Sam Priddy will serve as publisher. Joanne Clark will become creative director and Fiona Macdonald will take on the role of publishing director.

 

Anthropic has announced longtime Google executive, Tom Turvey as vice president of product. 

 

Penguin Random House, Ivy Cheng has joined Viking Penguin as publicist.

 

At Bloomsbury Continuum, editorial director Robin Baird-Smith left the company after 24 years at the end of February. Publisher Tomasz Hoskins has succeeded him. 

 

Dan Mayer has joined Crooked Lane Books as senior editor-at-large. He was previously editorial director at Seventh Street Books

 

Zoe Caulfield, previously at Welbeck Publishing Group and Hacheette UK, will join Gemini Books Group as executive director of North American sales and will also oversee foreign and subsidiary rights. Adrian Greenwood, previously sales director for Magic Cat, will join as executive director of UK and worldwide sales. Steve Munnings previously sales director of Imagine That has joined as group commercial director.

 

Jim Howard, chief operating officer, has retired from Morgan James Publishing effective February 29th.

 

At HarperCollins, Stephanie Mendoza,, formerly associate director of publicity Algonquin Books, has joined as director of publicity.

 

Anita Okoye, formerly assistant editor at Marvel Comics, has joined Abrams ComicArts as editor. 

 

Yale University Press Director  John Donatich will retire at the end of June 2025.

 

At Kar-Ben Publishing, publisher Joni Sussman will retire on June 28 after 20 years with the company. 

 

Suzanne Albert has joined Barefoot Books as VP of global sales. She was previously VP of sales at Callisto Media.

 

 

Shelly Romero has joined Chooseco as senior editor, she was formerly at Scholastic and Cake Creative.   Kristen Pettit has joined Cake Creative and Electric Postcard as editorial director. She was previously executive editor at Harper Children’s.

 

The Academy of American Poets has named Sherly Woodruff director of development 

 

At Lee & Low Books, Sacha Chadwick has joined as a publicist. 

 

Amber Thorton has been named director of the Cullman County (AL) Public Library System.

The California Independent Booksellers Alliance announced that Hannah Walcher will become executive director, starting part- time in March and transitioning to full-time in June. She was previously the executive director of Books Inc’s Bridge literary nonprofit. 

 

Michelle Pavao has joined Firebrand Technologies and NetGalley as director of finance.

 

At Open Road Integrated Media, Joshua Riitano is joining as marketing analytics manager.

 

At Ave Maria Press, Justyna Coppus has resigned as publicist. Erin Pierce is interim publicist and strategic partnerships manager.

 

In Agency News…

Stephanie Winter has joined KO Media Management as literary agent.

 

Laura Crockett has been promoted to senior literary agency and foreign rights manager at TriadaUS Literary Agency.

 

Molly Ketcheson has joined Wolfson Literary Agency as literary agent.

 

Eli Keren, formerly an associate agent at United Agents, has joined as literary agent at The Curious Minds Agency.

 

Yasmin McDonald has joined CAA as an agent in the books department, she was previously at United Agents.

Founder of Westwood Creative Artists, Bruce Westwood has retired. Jake Babad is rejoining the agency as VP of finance and co-head of media rights on March 4th. Previously he was a litigator at Torys LLP.

 

Eccles Fischer Associates, Éditions Phébus has appointed Eccles Fisher Associates as their US scout.

 

PROMOTIONS

HarperCollins Publishers, David Howe has been promoted to associate editor. David Walker has been promoted to assistant director of design at William Morrow Group and HarperCollins Children’s Books. At Harlequin Intrigue, Emma Cole has been promoted to editor. Maureen Cole has been promoted to executive director of publicity at Morrow Group. Allison Carney  has been promoted to senior director of marketing at Morrow Group. Kirby Sandmeyer has been promoted to editor of Harper and Harper Business.

 

At Penguin Random House, Arielle Pearl has been promoted to senior designer at CrownMegan Westbrook has been promoted to project manager at Crown.  Setareh Saidi has been promoted to senior analyst of consumer insights at Crown. Cady Zeng has been promoted to assistant managing editor at Penguin Random House Audio. Kaitlyn Robinson has been promoted to associate director, managing editorial at Penguin Random House Audio.  Anita Chong has been promoted to editorial director for McClelland & Stewart. At Dutton, Maya Ziv has been promoted to VP and editorial director. Ellie Pritchett has been promoted to associate editor at Vintage/Anchor.

 

Hachette Book Group has promoted Charlotte Morrison to senior advertising manager at Little, Brown. Karina Leon has been promoted to assistant editor at Little, Brown. Morgan Wu has been promoted to assistant editor at Little, Brown. Kirin Diemont has been promoted to senior designer at Little, Brown. Helen O’Hare has been promoted to executive editor at Little, Brown and Mulholland Books. Emily Williams has been promoted to assistant editor at James Patterson Books. Thea Diklich-Newell has been promoted to editor at Voracious  and will add titles to the Spark list.  At Grand Central Publishing, Natalie Bautista has been promoted to assistant editor at Balance. Amina Iro has been promoted to associate editor at Legacy LitLeah Hultenschmidt has been promoted to VP and publisher at the Forever imprint.  Sabrina Flemming has been promoted to associate editor at Forever.  Sam Brody  has been promoted to associate editor at Forever. Madeleine Colavita has been promoted to senior editor at Forever. Lauren Sum has been promoted to associate publicist. Alana Spendley has been promoted to marketing associate. Leena Oropez  has been promoted to marketing associate. Kamrun Nesa has been promoted to publicity manager. Stef Acquaviva  has been promoted to publicist.  Running Press has promoted Randall Lotowycz to senior editor, Maria Rillo to associate editor, and Britney Prerilli to editor. Mary Boyer, Justine Kelley, and Tanvi Baghele have been promoted to designer at Running Press. Kara Thornton has been promoted to director of publicity of Running Press. Rebecca Matheson has been promoted to marketing and publicity manager. Amanda Richmond has been promoted to senior designer and manager of proprietary editions at Running Press. 

At Macmillan Publishers, Sandra Moore has transferred from Celadon Books to the reprints production team as production associate.

 

At Simon & Schuster Michelle Herrera Mulligan has been promoted to VP and associate publisher at Atria, and will lead its new imprint, Primero Sueño Press, dedicated to publishing Latinx/Latine/Hispanic authors in both English and Spanish.

 

Candlewick Press has promoted Tracy Miracle to VP of publicity, Frank Antippas to accounting manager, and Kristin Seim to senior HR representative and office manager. 

 

Holiday House has promoted Michelle Montague to VP of trade marketing.

 

Peachtree Publishing Company has promoted Karen Walsh to VP of of consumer and brand marketing.

 

At Riverdale Avenue Books, David Valentin is being promoted to subrights manager.

 

Soho Press has promoted Nick Whitney to associate editor.

Sourcebooks has promoted Michael Zuccato to senior VP and chief digital officer. 

 

Nick Weckman has been promoted to publishing implementation manager at Firebrand Technologies.

 

At Beaufort Books, Emma St. John has been promoted to director of sales and marketing. 

 

Andrews McMeel Publishing has promoted  Jeff Preuss to production manager, Chuck Harper has been promoted to production director for books, Rebecca Ngo has been promoted to associate editor for calendars, Alex Alfano has been promoted to associate production manager, Sarah Tobaben has been promoted to executive editor for calendars, and Shona Burns has been promoted to VP of publishing services, books, and calendars.

 

At Open Road Integrated Media, Amanda Schaffer has been promoted to associate art director.

 

Zibby Media has promoted Anne Messite to president. Graça Tito is promoted to director of events and Roberto Velez is promoted to director of financial planning and analysis.

DULY NOTED

The Jerusalem International Book Forum has postponed their event until 2025.

 

Spotify has introduced a paid subscription plan focused on audiobooks in the US. For $9.99 a month, listeners can receive 15 hours worth of audiobooks along with ad supported music. 

 

Author-illustrator, Petra Mathers died February 6th; she was 78.

 

Joey Paul, 78, died February 6th. He worked in Christian Publishing for more than 50 years. He most recently worked at Thomas Nelson as executive editor.

 

Herman Parish, 71, author of the Amelia Bedelia books died February 10th. His aunt started the series which he then continued after her death in 1995 and went on to write an additional 59 books for the series.

 

Ken Fund, former Quarto COO, died on February 22nd at age 65. He worked with the Quarto Publishing Group for 24 years and retired in 2021.

 

EVENTS

Mar 9 – 10

Tucson Festival of Books

Tucson, AZ

Mar 9

Pasadena Festival of Women Authors 

Pasadena, CA

Mar 12-14

The London Book Fair

London, ENG

Mar 14-16

New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University

New Orleans, LA

Mar 15-16

Palm Beach Book Festival

Palm Beach, FL

Mar 20-24

Virginia Festival of the Book

Charlottesville, VA

Mar 21-24

Leipzig Book Fair

Leipzig, Germany

Mar 22-24

Romantasy Book Festival

Chicago, IL

Mar 28-Apr 8

Bangkok International Book Fair

Bangkok, Thailand

Mar 29-31

WonderCon

Anaheim, CA

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week 02/26-03/01

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.

Schools Celebrate Nationwide Read Across America Day 

 

Have Publishing Companies Pledges Faltered? – Lee & Low Diversity Report 

 

A Book Day Keeps The Doctor Away- How Reading Boosts Well-Being

 

Tech Company Inkitt Looks to Change the Publishing Landscape 

 

Fiction and Friendship? Gen Z and Millennials Cannot Sign Up Fast Enough:

Gen Z and Millennials Revamping Book Clubs 

Online Book Clubs Becoming Increasingly Popular