Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week, 11/4–11/8

number_5_redEvery week, our sister site, Publishing Trendsetter, recommends 5 publishing news stories that young book professionals should read to feel more connected to what’s going on in the industry. To continue that tradition here on Publishing Trends, we will be recommending 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.

While many claim that YA is ruled by female authors, a more detailed analysis shows that, in terms of the NYT YA Bestsellers List, men dominate.

Are UK Publishers going out of business because of Amazon/other discount retailers and the continued success of eBooks?

With the recent announcement of Macmillan Entertainment expanding its in-house film and TV efforts, it is clear publishers are continuing to move into TV/film— will publishers be successful?

Are ebook sales are flattening out due to readers wishing they could share their ebook library?

Is Amazon losing interest in monopolizing the book industry and changing business model tactics?

People Roundup, November 2013

PEOPLE

Scribner President Susan Moldow announced that Stacy Creamer, VP and Publisher of Touchstone, will be leaving the company and that Moldow would serve as Interim Publisher.

Yale University Press announced that it has appointed Benjamin Schwarz as Consulting Editor, based in LA, where he will acquire books in the areas of history, biography, and cultural affairs.  Previously, Schwarz was the Literary and National Editor for the Atlantic.

Larry Kirshbaum will leave his position as Publisher of Amazon‘s US trade publishing imprints on January 17, and will return to life as a literary agent.  Daphne Durham has been named Publisher, Adult Trade and Children’s Books, at Amazon; she was previously Publishing Editor in Chief.  According to Publishers Lunch, a few editors have left Amazon’s various imprints during 2013, with the departures of Tim Ditlow, Eleni Caminis (for Samsung), David Moldawer (for an education company), and Liz Egan (for Glamour Magazine), and Editorial Director of Amazon Publishing in New York Julia Cheiffetz currently out on maternity leave. But Amazon Publishing’s website still lists 27 editors from across the company’s sprawl of imprints.

Mary Ann Zissimos has joined Disney Publishing Worldwide as Publicity Manager. She formerly worked at HarperCollins, Abrams, Penguin, and Random House.

Former Crown Deputy Publisher Michael Palgon has joined Open Road as SVP, Distribution & Business Development. He will lead their distribution arm and will also “build new editorial verticals including religion and business.”  Also at Open Road, Charlotte Greig has been named Strategic Advisor for Acquisitions.  She was previously Editor at Picador UK. Laura Ferguson will join as Open Road as VP, Special Markets. Previously, she was Director of Premium, Corporate and Customer Driven Publishing at S&S. 

Mobifusion has hired Michelle Lewy as Director of Publisher Accounts, based in New York. Most recently, she was Director of Digital Media Services at Baker and Taylor.

Blaise Base has been named Associate Director of Online Marketing at HarperCollins. He had been Consumer and Social Media Marketing Manager at Manning Publications.

Longtime Reed Exhibitions Executive with oversight for BEA, SVP Courtney Muller has resigned from her position. BEA has been under the supervision of Greg Topalian, a former BEA Show Director.

Simon & Schuster Children’s is planning a new sci-fi, fantasy and horror imprint for “YA and above.” Justin Chanda will be Publisher, and Joe Monti has moved from the Barry Goldblatt Literary Agency to become Executive Editor. Navah Wolfe moving over to work as Editor for the new line. Meanwhile, Dana Trocker has joined S & S as Associate Marketing Manager. Previously, she was Speaker Relations Coordinator at Macmillan Speakers Bureau.

St. Martin’s publisher at large Dan Weiss has resigned  after 4 years with the company. He can be reached at dweissco@gmail.com. Weiss will focus on consulting, strategic investment and philanthropy.

Jeff Alexander has joined The Penguin Press as a Senior Editor. Previously he was an Editor at Vintage/Anchor.

Kathy Daneman has joined the Portfolio, Sentinel, and Current imprints as Publicity Director. She spent the past seven years at FSG, where most recently she was Assistant Director of Publicity. She also founded FSG’s online reading community, Book Keeping.

Dan Gerstle has joined Basic Books as Associate Editor. Previously he was Assistant Editor at FSG.

Emily Keyes has joined Foreword Literary as an Agent. Previously she was an Agent at the L. Perkins Agency. Read More »

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week, 10/28–11/1

number_5_redEvery week, our sister site, Publishing Trendsetter, recommends 5 publishing news stories that young book professionals should read to feel more connected to what’s going on in the industry. To continue that tradition here on Publishing Trends, we will be recommending 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.

Twitter may be changing the role of the literary critic, even if many literature-affiliates seem wary of the form of social media.

Is Amazon going through a retreat? Here are some strategies they might consider during this time.

US bestseller lists indicate trends such as: children’s/YA books have grown in popularity, self-help books are losing traction in the market, fiction is more popular than nonfiction, and more.

Singularity&Co is a bookstore taking on under-appreciated genres like sci-fi and republishing the works as e-books.

Librarians are facing two problems: it is difficult to find job placement and librarians’ salaries can’t pay for their educations.

International Bestseller Lists, October 2013

Every month, Publishing Trends runs fiction international bestseller lists from four territories–FranceGermanyItaly, and Spain. This month, our four regular territories are joined by two more: Norway and Russia.

Those books that have been published in English are listed with their official English-language title. All others are translated as literally as possible from the original. Where applicable, the US publisher is listed after the local publisher, separated by a “/”. The lists are taken from major newspapers or national retailers, which are noted at the bottom of each list.

BestsellerOctober2013.France (1) (1)BestsellerSeptember2013.Germany (1)

BestsellerOctober2013.Italy (2)BestsellerOctober2013

BestsellerOctober2013.Norway (1)BestsellerOctober2013.Russia (1)

Top 5 Publishing Articles/Blog Posts of the Week, 10/21–10/25

number_5_redEvery week, our sister site, Publishing Trendsetter, recommends 5 publishing news stories that young book professionals should read to feel more connected to what’s going on in the industry. To continue that tradition here on Publishing Trends, we will be recommending 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.

Some publishers shy away from lowbrow literature, yet it powers the industry financially and appeals to consumers

It’s possible that in a digital world, physical periodicals are losing appeal, but physical books are still valued.

The self-publishing industry grows, in ways that are difficult to account for, which may be leading to growth in the erotica genre

 Rethinking the role of the production manager is becoming necessary in a changing industry.

Tumblr continues to be a hub for both amateur and established writers: here is a list of fun and interesting literary Tumblrs. 

People Roundup, Mid-October 2013

PEOPLE

Carmela Iaria has been named Executive Director of Educational and Library Marketing, Penguin Young Readers Group; she was previously VP, Marketing and Merchandising, Book Clubs at Scholastic.

Folio Literary Management announced that Ruth Pomerance has recently joined the agency as Literary and Dramatic rights Agent. She held positions at Hyperion Books, and before that at The Rockwell Group, USA Films, and the William Morris Agency as well as several studios.

Frank Fochetta has left his position as VP, Sales Director at Quayside.  Josh Leventhal has also left his position as Publisher, MVP Books at Quayside; he can be reached at leventhal.josh@gmail.com.

Michelle Bayuk has gone to Egmont as Sales and Marketing Director.  She was previously Director of Marketing at Albert Whitman.

Jason Booher has been named Art Director of the Blue Rider Press. He was previously at Alfred A. Knopf.

Karrie Witkin is joining Abrams on October 21 in the newly created role of Editorial Director, Gift and Paper Products; she was previously Senior Editor and Publishing Manager for Potter Style. Working in partnership with Witkin will be Lindley Boegehold, Editorial Director for Calendars, Licenses and Custom Publishing. Both will report to Steve Tager, SVP of New Business Development.

Chronicle Books Food and Drink Editorial Director Bill LeBlond will retire on November 7 after 33 years with the company.

Whitney Frick will join Flatiron Books, Bob Miller’s Macmillan imprint, as Senior Editor on October 21. Previously, she was an Editor at Scribner.  Meanwhile at Scribner, Kate Lloyd has been named Associate Director of Publicity. She was previously Senior Publicist at Penguin.

Lorraine Rath and Alisha Petro have both joined Weldon Owen as Art Directors. Rath was previously Art Director at Heyday Books, and Petro held the position of Art Director at Yoga Journal and National Geographic.

Sulay Hernandez has left Other Press. She can be reached at SulayHernandez.Ed@gmail.com.

Will Lach is joining the American Museum of Natural History as Director, Licensing and Publishing. Previously he was Manager of Product Development, Department of Printed Product at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Read More »

As the World Turns: Discussing Global Change at Publishers Launch Frankfurt 2013

Publishers Launch Frankfurt had a banner lineup, including HarperCollinsCharlie Redmayne, Osprey‘s  Rebecca Smart, Amazon‘s Russ Grandinetti, Wattpad‘s Alan Lau, and GoodreadsOtis Chandler, among others. The theme of the day was how different companies and countries are managing global change.

In the morning, Russ Grandinetti from Amazon shared data about its worldwide ebook and print sales, with slides made available after the presentation.

Then, Otis Chandler gave some updates about Goodreads (since its purchase by Amazon last spring).  Chandler says 45% of visitors come from outside US, especially India and the UK.  And the number of employees has, not surprisingly, doubled in the last year. Growth is likely to continue when Kindle begins integrating the Goodreads app onto all the devices it sells starting this fall.

In an interview with Mike Shatzkin, Quarto CEO Marcus Leaver remarked that display marketing is growing in Australia, and helps supply data on consumer preferences.  Quarto has, meanwhile, reduced its worldwide inventory by 20% in the last year. Osprey’s Rebecca Smart, who sells books through the trade as well as direct (including subscriptions), talked about the increasing importance of customer loyalty and lifetime value.

Michael Cader introduced Charlie Redmayne, HarperCollins UK’s new CEO who talked about necessary skills sets in publishing today, especially in marketing — brand development, online marketing and advertising; merchandising backlist; digital opportunities beyond ebooks and apps; new channels, including direct to consumer models; subscription partners like Scribd, and pricing. Read More »

People Roundup, October 2013

PEOPLE

Nancy Mercado will Scholastic as Editorial Director, effective October 14, after serving as Executive Editor at Roaring Book Press. Also at Scholastic, Alexis Lunsford has been named National Accounts Manager, B&N/Nook. She was most recently Account Manager for B&N at Penguin Young Readers Group. Michael Barrett has been named Senior Publicist, Corporate Communications; he was previously a Publicist at Discovery.

Nook Media has appointed two outside executives to its management team: Mahesh Veerina, previously at Motorola Mobility, will become COO on October 7 and Doug Carlson, recently at Zinio, has been named Executive VP of Digital Content and Marketing. Both will report to Michael P. Huseby, President of Barnes & Noble, Inc. and CEO of Nook Media.

Jeremy Grainger, currently National Account Manager at Quayside, will be moving to Aperture Foundation as Sales & Marketing Manager for their rapidly expanding books program.

Alana Heiss has joined Oyster as Customer Experience Manager; she was previously Northeast Sales Rep at Taschen.

Samantha Howard will be joining Market Partners International/Publishing Trends starting October 10th as Research/Editorial Associate; she was previously Office Manager at Waxman Leavell Literary Agency.

Director of Technology for the B&H Publishing Group Aaron Linne is leaving to join Logos Bible Software as Director of Church Products. Read More »

International Bestseller Lists, September 2013

Every month, Publishing Trends runs Fiction international bestseller lists from four territories–FranceGermanyItaly, and Spain.

Those books that have been published in English are listed with their official English-language title. All others are translated as literally as possible from the original. Where applicable, the US publisher is listed after the local publisher, separated by a “/”. The lists are taken from major newspapers or national retailers, which are noted at the bottom of each list.

  BestsellerSeptember2013.France

BestsellerSeptember2013.Germany

BestsellerSeptember2013.ItalyBestsellerSeptember2013.Spain

People Roundup, Mid-September 2013

PEOPLE

Former Farrar, Straus Executive Editor Courtney Hodell will take over as Director of the Whiting Writers’ Awards as of November 1. Hodell succeeds Barbara Bristol, who has run the awards for sixteen years.   Daniel Reid will become the Whiting Foundation’s new Executive Director, taking over from Kellye Rosenheim. Reid is currently Director of Strategic Planning at the CUNY Institute for Education Policy.

Julie Blattberg will join Open Road on October 1 in the new position of Executive Director, Consumer Engagement, reporting to Rachel Chou. Most recently, Blattberg was Director of Marketing Content at HarperCollins.

Sally Kim has joined Chronicle as Senior Marketing Manager. Previously, she was Marketing Manager at Penguin Children’s.

Liese Mayer has moved to Scribner as Editor; she was most recently Associate Editor at Overlook Press.

Sara Hartman-Seeskin will join Sourcebooks as Rights and Exports Manager. Previously, she was International Rights Manager for Free Spirit Publishing. In addition, Liz Kelsch has been promoted to Publicity Manager and Nicole Komasinski moves up to Associate Graphic Designer.

Chelsea Lindman has joined Sanford J. Greenburger Associates as a Literary Agent. She was previously Director of Foreign Rights for Nicholas Ellison Agency/SJGA.  Claire Anderson-Wheeler has joined Regal Literary as an Agent. Previously she was an Agent at Anderson Literary Management. Peggy Boulos Smith has joined the Jane Rotrosen Agency in the Subsidiary Rights Division as Global Rights Director; she previously held positions at Penguin Group (USA) and Workman Publishing.

Sean Concannon is moving to Taylor & Francis as Medical Sales Specialist, beginning September 30.  He was previously Sales & Marketing Manager at CN Times.

Emma Boys Campion has joined Ten Speed Press as Creative Director, reporting to Hannah Rahill. Most recently, she was Creative Director at Weldon OwenNatalie Mulford joined Ten Speed Press as Associate Marketing Manager, reporting to Michele Crim. She was most recently Marketing and Publicity Director for Heyday BooksPatrick Barb joined Ten Speed Press on August 1 as Editor.   He was previously at Watson-Guptill.  Emily Timberlake has been promoted to Editor.

Karyn Marcus has left Simon & Schuster, where she was Senior Editor, to join the Office of Communications for the New York City School System as Editorial Manager.  She may be reached at karyn.marcus@gmail.com.

Publishing Trends‘ Editorial Assistant and International Editor, Elisabeth Watson, is moving to S&S as Subsidiary Rights Associate for Gallery/Touchstone/Scribner. In her time at PT, she also founded and managed Publishing Trendsetter, our site for young publishing professionals.

Read More »