The season for selecting the best books of the year has begun in earnest–with a number of new lists in recent days (noted below)–and will continue through New Year’s. For the fourth year, Publishers Lunch will be following and aggregating those lists from all over to form our can’t-miss consensus lists of The Best of the Best of 2012. With about 20 lists logged so far, there is already a clear pattern to this year’s competition, with Booker winner Hilary Mantel and National Book Award winner Katherine Boo the clear favorites in fiction and nonfiction respectively. Here is our first […]
Archives for November 2012
International: Random House Mondadori Buyout Completed; Harper Takes Full Control of India Division
Spanish antitrust authorities gave swift approval to Bertelsmann’s purchase of Mondadori’s 50 percent stake in the Spanish-language publishing company Random House Mondadori. The transaction officially closed Friday. As previously announced, Random House Mondadori will retain its corporate name for now, with no changes to its leadership, organizational structure, and publishing programs. HarperCollins announced it has taken full control of Harper India after nearly ten years of operating the division as part of a joint venture with English-language publisher Living Media India. The company says the move “marks a commitment to expansion by HarperCollins into the Indian market” and to “making […]
United Agents Completes Acquisition of AP Watt
The week’s second exhibit in literary agency consolidation: In the UK, United Agents has finalized their acquisition of venerable AP Watt, the Bookseller confirms, after first reporting on the talks in September. Only five members of AP Watt’s staff are joining United Agents in the transition, however, starting next week: Natasha Fairweather will join United Agents’ Robert Kirby as joint head of the literary department, and Linda Shaughnessy will serve as joint head of foreign rights. AP Watt executives Caradoc King and Derek Johns will also join United Agents as partners, and agent Jon Elek is staying with the group […]
People, Etc.
Midas Public Relations CEO Jacks Thomas will join Reed Exhibitions UK in January as senior exhibition director for the London Book Fair. LBF has been a Midas client for 10 years, and will remain so in the future. Kelly Welsh will join Putnam and Amy Einhorn Books as senior publicity manager on December 3. Previously she was publicity manager at Simon & Schuster’s trade imprint. Author and motivational speaker Hilary Hinton “Zig” Ziglar, 86, died on Wednesday. Best known for his 1975 book SEE YOU AT THE TOP, the WSJ notes he “preached in the tradition of American self-help that stretched back […]
RHPG Adds More Digital-Only Genre Imprints: Alibi, Hydra, Flirt
A year after reviving Loveswept as a digital-only romance imprint, the Random House Publishing Group announced three additional genre-focused digital imprints: Alibi, for mystery/thriller/suspense; Hydra, for science fiction & fantasy, and Flirt, for New Adult (i.e “targeting women in their twenties and thirties.”) Each imprint will publish original short content (ranging between 10,000 and 30,000 words) and short books (40,000-60,000 words) as well as previously published books for which author controls all print and digital rights. The new imprints will be overseen by vp, digital publishing director Allison Dobson working with svp, publisher of digital content Scott Shannon and vp, […]
People, Etc.
At Ingram’s library services business, Dan Sheehan was promoted to vp and general manager in September. Pamela Smith will join the unit on December 3 as vp of global sales for the library business. She was most recently an svp at Follett. Powell’s Books has created an ale of their own in collaboration with Rogue Ales and Spirits. Their White Whale Ale is “infused with the seafaring spirit of Moby-Dick“–literally. They say that “Michael and Emily Powell took sheets from the book and, along with Rogue Brewmaster John Maier, placed them into the brew kettle.” Judy Morse, who retired as […]