Bob Miller will launch a new, standalone nonfiction division for Macmillan. He will start July 8, and hire “a small editorial staff” (he tells the WSJ he will have two editors), and aims to publish 36 books a year starting in early 2015. Miller says in the announcement, “I couldn’t be happier to return to my roots on 23rd Street, where I learned so many of the publishing values I’ve aspired to ever since. I’m very grateful to John and my Macmillan colleagues–new and old–for this chance to do what I love with such enthusiastic support.”
Macmillan ceo John Sargent adds in the release: “This business is all about the authors and the books. Finding the right books at the right price is a tough job, and Bob has shown himself to be very good at it. We’re really thrilled to welcome him back to the Flatiron Building and we’re looking forward to many successes together in the years ahead.”
Most recently Miller was group publisher at Workman, after running two start-up publishers — first Hyperion, and then Harper Studio.
Also at Macmillan, FSG executive editor Sean McDonald was named publisher of FSG Originals and director of digital and paperback publishing in addition to his current duties. He will “pursue original publishing initiatives in print and ebook formats, oversee FSG’s backlist in print and ebook, and coordinate FSG’s publishing relationship with Picador USA.” The first project under the expanded, FSG Originals line, now to include digital releases, will be an e-prequel to Robin Sloan’s Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore, publishing this fall along with Picador’s release of the Mr. Penumbra paperback.
Tara Gelsomino has joined F+W Media’s Crimson Romance digital/POD imprint as executive editor. She was most recently executive marketing manager at AudioGO.
Andrew Weinstein has joined Scribd as vp, content acquisition.
Harper Children’s vp, digital publishing and business development Corinne Helman is leaving, to move to Toronto, Publishing Trends reports.
Evan Bayh, former US senator from Indiana, now both a senior advisor at Apollo Global Management and a partner at law firm McGuireWoods, will also join the board of directors of McGraw-Hill Education.
The National Book Critics Circle is adding a new award for the best debut book, starting in with their award presentations in early 2014. It will be named for the late critic John Leonard, “remembered…for his life-long encouragement of younger critics and his unwavering attention to debut writers.” The NBCC already gives awards for fiction, general nonfiction, autobiography, biography, criticism and poetry.
Ingram Publisher Services will manage sales and distribution of Bird Street Books, the company founded by Jay McGraw last year, across print, ebook and audio formats. (Bird Street was already using Ingram’s CoreSource digital distribution, and Dr. Phil McGraw’s LIFE CODE The New Rules for Winning in the Real World, is the bestselling CoreSource Plus title.)
Our description of Laurie King’s upcoming suspense novel BONES OF PARIS in Tuesday’s fall/winter preview was incorrect. It is a standalone novel, not part of the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series.