Philip Ruppel has joined Phaidon Press as chief operating officer. CEO Keith Fox says, “His proven track record of delivering growth through profitable innovation and enhanced digital offerings fits brilliantly with Phaidon’s commitment to enhancing our brand as the world’s premier fine arts publisher.” Most recently he was president of McGraw-Hill Education’s Professional division. (That unit is now overseen by Mark Dorman.)
Susan Winslow has been promoted to managing director of Macmillan Higher Education, reporting to ceo Ken Michaels, who says in the announcement: “Susan has a clear understanding of our customer needs and in the evolving nature of publishing. She is an innovative publisher consistently focused on learning outcomes and teacher development, informed by her experience in prior roles in multiple disciplines, geographies, and businesses. Her strategic insight across the growing array of content, software and services will build our capabilities for the benefit of authors, instructors and students.”
Stephanie Bowen will join Perigee Books as Senior Editor on May 4. She was previously a senior editor at Sourcebooks. Also at Perigee, Amanda Shih has been promoted to assistant editor.
At Simon & Schuster Children’s: Elizabeth Blake-Linn has been promoted to senior production manager for Atheneum, Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, McElderry Books, and Saga Press; Carolyn Swerdloff moves up to associate marketing director overseeing Aladdin, Simon Pulse, Simon Spotlight and Little Simon; Teresa Ronquillo is now assistant marketing manager for the same imprints, reporting to Swerdloff; Ksenia Winnicki has joined the division as publicist (she was at Macmillan Children’s); Karin Paprocki has been promoted to executive art director of Aladdin; and Jessica Handelman has been promoted to art director for Pulse and Aladdin.
In the UK, at Daniela Schlingmann Literary Scouting, Zoe Plant has been promoted to junior scout and the company with work film production and management company 42 M&P Ltd. as a new client.
Quarto’s longstanding chief financial officer Mick Mousley will retire after 28 years with the company, after his successor is hired (a search is underway).
Obituaries
Author of 19 books, including On Writing Well, and former executive editor of Book-of-the-Month Club William Zinsser, 92, died at home on Tuesday.
Longtime publishing salesperson and book buyer Meg Richardson died May 8 after a brief battle with cancer. Richardson was most recently sales manager at Red Wheel/Weiser (after working as a buyer in multiple positions, including 10 years at Hudson News). No memorial service is planned but donations in her memory can be made to the American Cancer Society.
Awards
The first wave of 2015 PEN Literary Awards were announced Wednesday morning (with the rest to be announced at their awards ceremony on June 8). Among the winners are:
Nonfiction
Five Days at Memorial, Sheri Fink
Biography
The Queen’s Bed, Anna Whitelock
Science Writing
War of the Whales, Joshua Horwitz
Sports Writing
Boy on Ice, John Branch
YA working writer fellowship
Stephanie Kuehn for The Pragmatist
Announcements
Creator of xkcd.com and author of last year’s bestselling What If? Randall Munroe announced on his site that HMH will release his second book, Thing Explainer, on November 24.