Following Deb Futter’s appointment as publisher of Grand Central’s Twelve imprint in April, Sean Desmond will join the line in the new position of editorial director, starting May 28. He is currently an executive editor at Crown. Futter says in the announcement, “When I became Publisher of Twelve, my first order of business was to hire a top-notch editorial director who would work with me to define the next era at Twelve. In Sean Desmond, I could not have found a more perfect fit in terms of acquisitions and vision.”
Knopf announced two editorial promotions, both effective immediately. Robin Desser has been named to the new position of editorial director. Knopf chairman and editor-in-chief Sonny Mehta writes that “Robin will join with Tony Chirico and me in shaping the list at Knopf in addition to maintaining her current responsibilities. Robin will also join our core executive team, helping us chart a path that will allow our group to continue to publish well and prosper in the years to come.” Additionally, Jordan Pavlin has been promoted to executive editor.
USA TODAY reporters and reviewers Deirdre Donahue, Carol Memmott, and Craig Wilson have all taken buyouts from the paper. Donahue’s last day, after more than 27 years working for the books section, is May 10, and her final story runs in Wednesday’s edition.
Jane Starr Literary Scouts has been appointed scout for Paseka Publishers in the Czech Republic.
Kelly Farber has left Barbara Tolley & Associates to form KF Literary Scouting, working on behalf of Arche and Atrium Verlag in Germany. She can be reached at kelly@kfscout.com
The James Beard Foundation presented their full roster of awards on May 3, including honors for cookbooks in 13 categories. Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America by Maricel E. Presilla was their “cookbook of the year.” The IACP’s cookbook of the year Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi won the Beard award in the international category. The publisher of that book Ten Speed Press was the only imprint with multiple winners, claiming three prizes.
In other announcements, School Library Journal will now accept review submissions for original digital children and young adult titles through NetGalley.