Mary Ann Naples is returning to book publishing as publisher of Rodale Books, starting March 4, following detours to OpenSky and then, briefly, Zola Books (as head of business development; she will now join Zola’s strategic advisory board.) Naples had been a co-founder of literary agency The Creative Culture after working at Hyperion.
Jim Hanas will join HarperCollins as director of audience development, reporting to cmo Angela Tribelli. Previously he was social media editor at the New York Observer.
In the UK, Harper is once again reshuffling and rebranding imprints, consolidating their nonfiction lines. Harper Press and parts of Collins are merging, and will be renamed William Collins, under executive publisher David Roth-Ey. Current Collins publisher Hannah MacDonald has left the company, but the Bookseller says “no other job losses have been announced.”
Harper Nonfiction will focus on lifestyle and entertainment books, and will take over some of the brands currently published via Collins. Harper UK ceo Victoria Barnsley says: “The non-fiction market is challenged by the wealth of free content online, we need to focus our resources so that we can concentrate on stretching the boundaries and redefining the genre. I believe publisher brands will become increasingly important in the digital age and we are therefore re-inventing the William Collins brand to help us cultivate a real identity.”
Seven editors and three agents from the U.S. and Canada have been named Zev Birger Jerusalem International Book Fair Fellows and will participate in special programs and seminars at the 26th biennial Jerusalem International Book Fair, February 10-15:
The Editor Fellows are:
Chris Jackson, Random House
Kerri Kolen, Putnam
Sarah MacLachlan, House of Anansi
Liese Mayer, Overlook Press
Sarah Miller, Yale University Press
Denise Oswald, HarperCollins
Alexis Washam, Crown
The Agent Fellows are:
Suzanne Brandreth, Cooke Agency International
Jay Mandel, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment
Maria Massie, Lippincott Massie McQuilkin
The last piece of bankrupt Canadian publisher D&M, New Society Publishers, has been reacquired by the previous owners, Chris and Judith Plant and Carol Newell. When D&M first filed for bankruptcy protection they said New Society was “a separate legal entity” that would “continue as usual.” But in the list of creditors, D&M owed New Society itself along with Plant and Newell over $750,000 (so it’s possible the enterprise was transferred back to them to help extinguish the debt).
The Transatlantic Literary Agency is shortening their name to the Transatlantic Agency (which means their email protocol also changes, to firstname@transatlanticagency.com).
At Angry Robot, Lee Harris has been promoted to senior editor.