Tina Pohlman will join Open Road on March 5 as publisher, filling the position vacated by Brendan Cahill last year, though the job itself has expanded with company’s recent hiring of multiple editorial specialists. She’ll report to ceo Jane Friedman and is charged with “lead[ing] Open Road’s editorial services, expansion into new verticals, and acquisition of new titles.” Friedman says the company has published over 2,000 titles since April 2010, and under Pohlman and the expanded editorial staff they will add “a minimum of 1,000” more titles by the end of 2012. Pohlman was formerly publisher of trade paperbacks at Crown. She […]
Archives for February 2012
Inkling Launches New Authoring Tools With Habitat
At Tools of Change Tuesday morning e-textbook firm Inkling announced the details of its new free cloud-based authoring tool Habitat, which will allow for the creation of interactive digital content for tablet computers and for the Web when it’s widely available later this year. Habitat will allow publishers to produce and publish content that includes guided tours, 3-D exhibits, interactive quizzes, and high definition video, in addition to text. Inkling calls Habitat the “only strictly schematic publishing platform” as part of its attempt to employ a software-based (and evidently, more rapid) model of publishing. But of course it joins a […]
People, Etc.
At Tor/Forge, Alexis Nixon has been promoted to publicist and Leah Withers moves up to associate publicist. In addition, Cassie Ammerman, most recently publicist, has been named digital marketing manager for the imprint. At Kids Can Press, Yvette Ghione has been promoted to editorial director and Karen Li moves up to senior editor. In addition, Allison MacLachlan has been named assistant, brands & new business. Barnes & Noble romance buyer Jules Herbert will contribute monthly recommendations and point to store promotions and other offers on Random House’s romance website Romance@Random, the site spearheaded by former Borders romance buyer Sue Grimshaw. […]
Dimension Fund Advisors Bets on Bookstores, Discloses 5 Percent Stakes in BN and BAMM
Wall Street analysts may hold a dim view of the prospects for bookstores, but that hasn’t stopped Dimension Fund Advisors, an Austin, TX-based hedge fund that manages more than $213 billion in investments, from making a bet on the big chains. On Tuesday DFA disclosed a 5.45 percent stake, or about 3.2 million shares, in Barnes & Noble, as of December 31, 2011, as well as a 5.76 percent stake, or about 911,000 shares, in Books-A-Million. (Barnes & Noble traded higher in late 2011 than it does now; Books-a-Million is up slightly since then.) Bear in mind that these represent […]
UK Conglomerate Acquires Aptara for $150 Million, and More Corporate News
Washington, DC-area-based Aptara has been acquired for an enterprise value of approximately $150 million by iEnergizer Limited, a public conglomerate listed on the London Stock Exchange, with “wide-ranging investments in business process outsourcing, oil and gas, and real estate.” ($5 million of the purchase price will be held in escrow for 12 months.) iEnergizer is funding the acquision primarily through a new $114 million short-term loan facility. As of a year ago (the end of 2010), Aptara had revenues of $66 million and operating profit of $10.1 million. iEnergizer board chair Sara Latham says in the announcement, “As the only […]
Remembrance: Author Jeff Zaslow, 53
Co-author most recently of Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly’s GABBY: A Story of Courage and Hope, and author of many other bestsellers Jeff Zaslow, 53, died Friday in a car accident in Northern Michigan. He had been at McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey, MI for an event Thursday night. Zaslow is said to have lost control of his car on a snowy road and was struck by a truck. Best-known for co-authoring THE LAST LECTURE, Zaslow also collaborated with Capt. Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger, and his book THE MAGIC ROOM: A Story About the Love We Wish for Our Daughters […]