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People: Obits for Stephen R. Covey, Donald J. Sobol

July 16, 2012
By Sarah Weinman

Stephen R. Covey, author of the 1989 self-help bestseller 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE, died early Monday at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls from the residual effects of a bicycle accident in April, his family said. He was 79 years old. 7 HABITS and additional follow-up titles have sold more than 20 million copies in over 38 languages. Simon & Schuster ceo Carolyn Reidy said in a statement the publisher was “deeply saddened by Covey’s passing” and the company “is honored to have had a long lasting, company-wide and close association with Dr. Covey and his organization.”
Salt Lake Tribune obit

Author of the ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN and 2-MINUTE MYSTERIES books for children Donald J. Sobol, 87, died July 11 in Miami, Florida of natural causes after a brief illness. Sobol introduced his Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown boy detective series in 1963, writing 27 additional volumes (the most recent in 2011.) The final installment, ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN AND THE CASE OF THE SOCCER SCHEME, will be published in October.

“Thanks to Donald, generations of children have learned to read and solve mysteries alongside Encyclopedia Brown, one of the most iconic characters in children’s literature,” Penguin Children’s publisher Don Weisberg said in a statement. Dutton Children’s associate publisher and Sobol’s longtime editor Steven Meltzer added: “I will truly miss Don Sobol. He was a generous writer who shared with boys and girls a lasting legacy of childhood. In the years I have worked with Don I have met people from all walks of life who have fond memories of his Encyclopedia Brown books and now share them with their own children and grandchildren. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Rose and their family.”

In personnel news, Derek Stordahl will join Bloomsbury on August 6 in the newly created role of head of sales, Americas, based out of the company’s New York office. Previously he was vp, global marketing for McGraw-Hill Professional.

Rebecca Cullen and Toby Plewak have joined Publishing Technology as customer strategists, designed to lead and consult on the digital publishing strategy of customers on the pub2web platform, in the company’s UK and US offices, respectively. Cullen was most recently a project manager for Oxford University Press, while Plewak worked in product development for the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

Founding editor Marc Smirnoff and managing editor Carol Ann Fitzgerald were fired by Oxford American magazine over the weekend, the Cabin reported. Publisher Warwick Sabin, who was hired four years ago after an embezzlement scandal and is also running for a State Representative position in Arkansas, will act as interim publisher. The two editorial staffers were let go after Sabin locked out all employees (including another full-time staffer and five interns) of Oxford American’s offices at the University of Central Arkansas on July 11, in the wake of an ongoing investigation into alleged “inappropriate behavior.”  Smirnoff told the Arkansas Times Tuesday evening he plans to fight his dismissal.

Filed Under: Authors, Free, Personnel

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