Richard Rhorer has been named associate publisher of Simon & Schuster, reporting to Jonathan Karp. Previously he was director of digital business development at Macmillan. Beach Ball Books, a new children’s book publishing company spearheaded by former Shoreline Publishing Group editorial director Jim Buckley, will launch this fall with six preschool and middle-grade titles focusing on “sports books, board books and plans for a raft of colorful, entertaining books that kids and families will love.” Beach Ball’s list will be sold and distributed by Dave Weiner & Associates and The BookMasters Group. Effective April 1, Simon & Schuster will handle […]
Archives for February 2011
TOC and Beyond: Atwood Defends Authors’ Cheese, and More
At this morning’s TOC conference Margaret Atwood showed how a great writer can craft an entertaining speech and even a swell powerpoint better than most technologists. Her theme was “who is going to pay for the cheese sandwiches on which authors are known to subsist?” in this new digital age. While she didn’t have grand answers to offer, she did come armed with charming illustrations and a delightful delivery. “I love the enthusiasm for new things. Forgive me for not being quite as hopped about it all as some people may be,” Atwood began. “We’ve heard a lot about change. […]
Briefs: Quarto Annual Sales Rise; Hay House to Make Their Own Vooks; Planeta Acquires Bertrand; Gardners To Sell Direct to Consumers; and More
Quarto reported an 8 percent rise in adjusted pre-tax profit for the year to December to £7.4m from £6.9m, and a 7 percent jump in revenue to £113.8m from £106.6m. Its publishing division revenue increased 7 percent to £75.1m. Quarto cited “continued focus on developing markets, in particular Brazil and China, and improved trading in the UK and Australasia” for the revenue and profit gains. Release Hay House has become the first publisher to sign on to use Vook’s engine for creating enhanced ebooks at scale (called MotherVook). The product “converts disparate and varied file formats; combines text, video and […]
People, Etc.
Anne Kubek has joined the InScribe Digital as EVP, General Manager. She had been EVP of merchandising and marketing at Borders, spending 20 years with the company before leaving in late 2009. Meg LaBorde Kuehn joins Kirkus Media in the new position of vp of business development. Her most recently publishing position was coo of Greenleaf Book Group. Former Granta Books managing director David Graham has joined Aurum and its associated trade publishing division, where he will be setting up a new imprint, Union Press, which will focus on “serious literary writing”, specifically non-fiction. Former Granta staffers Alex Clark and […]
HB Fenn Bankruptcy Filing Lists $25M in Liabilities; Macmillan To Ship Direct As of April 1
Canadian distributor HB Fenn confirmed its February 3 bankruptcy announcement in a statement of affairs filed with the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada. In it Fenn lists $25 million (CA) in liabilities against $14.8 million in assets. Fenn owes $21.8 million to unsecured creditors, with Macmillan the largest by far (owed $10 million, with an additional $600,000 owed to its UK arm.) Other notable unsecured creditors, according to Quill & Quire, include four H.B. Fenn-affiliated companies comprising Fenn Publishing, Fenn Technologies, and two numbered corporations bearing H.B. Fenn’s Bolton address who together are owed $4.1 million, HarperCollins ($3.3 million, […]
McEvoy Adds to Group with Princeton Architectural Press Purchase
Founder and owner of New York-based Princeton Architectural Press Kevin Lippert has sold the company to Nion McEvoy’s The McEvoy Group as of January 1, announced today. Lippert is staying on as president and publisher. Chronicle has been the publisher’s distributor since 1995, and will operate the press “as a stand-alone operation.” McEvoy Group president Jack Jensen says “we look forward to helping Princeton consolidate its position as one of the preeminent publishers of books on architecture and design in the world, and to expand its offerings in both academic and electronic publishing. Lippert had repurchased shares in the publisher […]