Macmillan Children’s president and publisher Dan Farley intends to step down after an “orderly transition” to a successor so that he can return to living full-time in San Diego “after fourteen years of bicoastal business and commuting.” Based on that decision, Farley and Macmillan ceo John Sargent “looked toward the next phase for the Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group” and “determined that my new plans would not mesh with the business needs of the group.”
He wrote to employees yesterday in a memo “with publishing programs and operations performing effectively, with consolidation richly underway, with smart and well-thought out strategic planning poised to be implemented, and with our talented and collaborative staff, this seems a positive time to proverbially pass the baton.”
Penguin Canada is finally able to name their promised new chairman with “senior experience in the media and publishing industries”: it’s Rob Prichard, former president and ceo of Harlequin-parent Torstar from 2002 to 2009 (and then ceo of Metrolinx). Penguin ceo John Makinson says in the announcement, “He is well-known and universally respected throughout Canada. He’s perfect for the job and I am thrilled that he has agreed to join us. From his work with the University of Toronto Press, McLelland & Stewart and Harlequin, he knows our industry well and will be a wonderful ambassador and champion for Penguin Canada.”
John Rudolph is joining Dystel & Goderich Literary Management as agent. He was most recently executive editor at Putnam Children’s. Stephanie DeVita, who started as an intern at the agency, is now a full-time agent, focusing on narrative and practical non-fiction, memoir, and romance.
NYU Press has hired Mary Beth Jarrad as marketing and sales director. She had been senior director for international sales at Random House.
Zadie Smith is taking over Harper’s Magazine’s monthly New Books column. Benjamin Moser had been writing the column since May 2009, and will be a contributing editor to the magazine.
Observer
Former Rodale ceo Steven Murphy is joining Christie’s as their new ceo, as chief executive Edward Dolman steps up to chairman.