Kevin Doughten will join Crown as senior editor on September 24, focusing on non-fiction. He was most recently an editor at Viking.
Olga Rogozina has joined the Van Lear Agency in Moscow as both a literary agent and contracts manager. Previously she was foreign rights manager at Astrel.
Founder of Chicago’s 10-store Beck’s Bookstores, Bob Beck, 91, died last week at Northwestern Hospital. “Today, a marketing major would say he had a business plan. Back then, it was called an angle. He sold books at Beck’s for less than the college bookstores charged, and he paid more when the used books were returned.” A celebration of his life is planned for September 29.
Sun-Times
UK eyeglass chain Specsavers, which already sponsors the crime thriller awards, will take over as sponsor of the British National Book Awards too, starting with this fall’s nominations and awards. They take over the sponsorship from chocolate-makers Galaxy, and will bring promotion at their more than 750 stores into the mix.
Annette Thomas wins a rare new entry for book publishing, listed at 94. They don’t even seem aware of her revised assignment from earlier this year as chief executive of Macmillan’s global science and education division. John Makinson returns, down one position to 89–on the more because his “ranking is boosted by his role as chairman of the National Theatre and the fact that he is a long-term bet to take over from Pearson chief executive Marjorie Scardino [No. 19] when she steps down.” Jeff Bezos remains at No. 12.
Thomas