People, Etc. - Publishers Lunch

At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Angela Zurlo has been promoted to production manager for the Books for Young Readers and Paul Wiseman imprints, effective June 1. Navah Wolfe and Julia Maguire have been promoted to associate editor, BFYR. In addition, Richard Ackoon moves up to executive coordinator, Laura Roode has been promoted to associate art director, and Krista Olsen moves up to design associate.

Knopf announced that in six weeks, they have sold over 10 million units (in all editions) of EL James’s three FIFTY SHADES books. They have printed 9.5 million books so far, available in 15,000 physical retail outlets. They say that “BookScan data indicates that the trilogy has captured twenty-five percent of the adult fiction market in recent weeks.” Following Vintage’s republication, rights have been sold in 37 territories.

The new Barnes & Noble Recommends selection is Maggie Shipstead‘s SEATING ARRANGEMENTS. Generally the bookseller has announced their picks on publication date, but Shipstead’s novel is set for release on June 12.

Penguin and Amazon announced the finalists for their sixth annual Breakthrough Novel Contest, with prizes for both general fiction and young adult. Amazon customers can read and vote until the end of the month, with the winners to be named June 16.

Last week, Vintage issued six Truman Capote works–including Breakfast At Tiffany’s–as ebooks for the first time. (IN COLD BLOOD has been available digitally for a long time, already.)

Edmund White suffered a stroke earlier this month, according to a notice to friends on his Facebook page dictated to his partner Michael Carroll. It’s the second and more serious stroke (an earlier one happened last Thanksgiving) but Carroll said “his improvement is remarkable on a daily basis.” White added that “I’m already reviewing a book and thinking about completing my memoir. I’m 2/3 through and hope to finish it in November, even if I have to dictate to Michael Carroll.”

Author Will Self and his three children were unhurt after the roof of his Georgian townhouse in South London (and three adjacent houses) caved into the buildings. “It was like the front of my house fell off, he told the London Evening Standard. “I got the children out to the back of the property because it was all about to go. Once things had stopped falling off I got them out through the front door. Somebody could have been killed.” Building engineers were still trying to find the cause of the roof collapse.

Finally, correcting last week’s item about Harlequin’s reorganization of its digital and physical marketing departments into a single unit, Natashya Wilson has been named executive editor of the company’s non-fiction imprint, while Deb Brody moves up to director of Harlequin’s non-fiction imprint.