Longtime Random House executive Bonnie Ammer has resigned as evp, international sales, effective December 31. That department reports to newly-appointed president of sales, operations and digital, Madeline McIntosh. Previously Ammer was publisher-at-large, after serving as president and publisher of Fodor’s and running the Random House Information Group. Markus Dohle writes in a memo, “I have tremendous respect and gratitude for all Bonnie has accomplished for Random House, accomplishments for which her colleagues throughout the company worldwide and throughout trade-book publishing here and abroad hold her in high regard.”
Publishing whiz and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ceo Barry Callaghan has hired Eric Shuman for the new position of chief operating officer for the company’s K-12 publishing division. Shuman was ceo of Thomson. He “will focus primarily on operational excellence of the K-12 business and will oversee core print publishing, digital products, technology platforms, global supply chain, information technology and customer care.” He reports directly to O’Callaghan rather than K-12 President Mike Lavelle.
Over at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s trade division, Jeannette Larson has been promoted to vp, editorial director of Harcourt Children’s. She has “enjoyed a long and monogamous career in children’s books at Harcourt, starting as an editorial assistant in the San Diego office in 1987.” Larson will relocate to New York in the new year.
F+W Media has hired Kathleen Kaplan Blackwelder as director of eCommerce, with oversight of the company’s 20 e-stores. They say ecommerce has grown 140 percent in 2009. Blackwelder most recently served as ecommerce director for The Finish Line.
Mara Lander joins the Little, Brown Children’s as brand manager, working closely with the Poppy imprint, as well as with key licensors and core titles and authors. She was previously at Random House on the adult side where she implemented marketing, promotional, and advertising programs.