In some ways Frankfurt is a lot like Disneyland. Both are associated with lots of hype, lots of people and the belief that on going there all your dreams may very well come true. Perpetuating these hopes for the book crowd are “fair-y” tales like the story of Saša Stanišić, nominee for the 2006 German…Continue Reading
“Intellectual Bestseller” may sound like a contradiction in terms for the U.S. book market, but Russia’s literary tradition of complex allegory and existential musing is still going strong. Cheap romance novels and Lord of the Rings knockoffs haven’t faltered (whatever happened to censorship?) – but Russian book prizes are what make or break many of…Continue Reading
It’s July and publishing folk the world over have settled back down now that the spring trifecta of book fairs—London, Bologna, BEA—has passed. The jury’s still out on which one––including Frankfurt of course––wins the rights race, and, as usual, there’s been plenty of speculation. But as big book fair chatter continues, another conversation is ramping…Continue Reading
PEOPLE David Nudo has left The NYT where he was Managing Director of book advertising to become Publisher of Publishers Weekly assuming overall business and editorial responsibility for the magazine. Nudo had earlier worked at Library Journal. PW Editor-in-Chief Sara Nelson tells PT “I am thrilled to have someone of David’s talent and experience as…Continue Reading
PEOPLE It seems as though anyone who wasn’t on vacation or sabbatical this month was busy changing jobs: Liz Perl has been named VP Publisher of Rodale, reporting to Tami Booth Corwin. She was previously Associate Publisher of Penguin‘s Riverhead, Perigee, HP, Portfolio and Sentinel lines and Director of Marketing and Executive Director of Publicity…Continue Reading
NYU’s Center for Publishing hosted its third Management Forum for Small and Independent Publishers April 15-16, and got an impressive turnout from around the country. Director Robert Baensch hosted the event. Friday morning was devoted to the Big Picture, and Bruce Harris, who headed sales at Random before going to Workman and now, consulting, gave…Continue Reading
PEOPLE We will skip over the Thomas Middelhoff debacle, and move on to some moves that are less well covered, including that by a Middelhoff chronicler: The NYT’s David Kirkpatrick is leaving the Book Beat, to cover media, focusing on AOL Time Warner, along with Vivendi, Bertelsmann, and News Corp. His replacement will be named…Continue Reading
PEOPLE Heads rolling in and rolling out: Marco Ausenda, who comes from Touring Club Italia, will replace Antonio Polito as the head of Rizzoli US, reporting to Giulio Lattanzi. . . Jean-Marie Messier’s still running Vivendi, but of course major changes at Houghton Mifflin: Teri Kelly succeeds Wendy Strothman as SVP and head of trade…Continue Reading
PEOPLE Steve Parr has been named CEO of Abrams, following the departure of Mark Magowan and Alan Rutsky (along with two dozen others) at the end of the year. He was most recently with Emap. . . . After 14 years at Harcourt, Louise Pelan, VP and Publisher of Children’s Books, is taking early retirement…Continue Reading
