Sarah Odedina “has decided to leave” Hot Key Books in the UK, which she started for Bonnier Publishing in 2011. Odedina is stepping down from her position as managing director immediately, but will stay with the company until April 30, 2015.
Ed Park is leaving Amazon Publishing’s Little A imprint to join Penguin Press as an executive editor, focused on growing their fiction list. Editor of Amazon’s literary journal Day One Carmen Johnson will take over Park’s responsibilities at Little A. The NYT bills it is as “a major setback” — though his last announced acquisition was 16 months ago. Separately, Amazon’s Katie Finch tells NY Magazine that the company plans on doubling Little A’s title count next year and increasing their advances.
Tracy Locke has joined Holt as publicist at large, and Caroline Nitz has been promoted to publicist.
Hachette UK is in consultation with a small number of employees about job reductions in their field sales staff.
Two former Reed Exhibitions executives who previously ran and supervised BEA have new jobs. Courtney Muller has joined Atlanta-based trade show company Urban Expositions as executive vice president, and in September Greg Topalian created LeftField Media, focusing on face-to-face events for a range of communities rooted in contemporary culture, in partnership with the owners of Business Journals Inc.
Following Topalian’s departure from Reed, BEA is now part of the portfolio of another former director of the show, global svp of ReedPOP Lance Fensterman.
Longtime publishing executive — most recently as publisher of Rowman & Littlefield — and author of seven novels Marcus Boggs, 66, died at home on November 1.
Scholastic announced last week they will add more than 7,500 square feet of space to their flagship store in SoHo as part of a forthcoming renovation, which will close the location as of January 2015 and move the corporate entrance to Mercer Street. The company bought the space next door to its current 557 Broadway location, and the exteriors for both spaces will remain unchanged throughout the renovation.