Jane von Mehren has joined Zachary Shuster Harmsworth as an affiliate agent after more than 25 years as an editor and publishing executive, most recently as an svp and publisher, trade paperback at the Random House Publishing Group. Penguin Group evp for legal affairs Alex Gigante since 1997 has joined Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard as special counsel. He will continue his association with Penguin Random House through October 2014 in the part-time role of senior counsel. At Viking Penguin, Chris Russell and Maggie Riggs have both been promoted to associate editor. At Random House, Grant Neumann has been promoted […]
Archives for January 2014
Winter Institute Buzz Books and Beyond: Commercial Fiction, Young Adult, and Children’s
For the second year in a row we are helping to amplify the ABA’s Winter Institute with a new free ebook Buzz Books 2014: Spring/Summer, featuring 10 authors appearing at WI9 and another 30 anticipated “discovery” titles from the season ahead. Today we present the third and final modified portion of Sarah Weinman’s broader preview of notable titles coming over the next 6 months that opens Buzz Books. (Download the trade edition — with detailed marketing, rights and publicity information, and click-throughs after each excerpt if you’re interested in the full galley — from this page, in an an EPUB or Kindle file or from NetGalley […]
Amazon’s Brilliance Publishing Adds Christian Imprint
Michigan-based Amazon Publishing unit Brilliance is launching their second book imprint, Waterfall Press, a Christian line specializing in faith-based non-fiction and fiction. (Not be confused with Penguin Random House’s Christian line WaterBrook.) Just over a year ago, Brilliance started the inspirational line Grand Harbor Press. Tammy Faxel will lead editorial for the new imprint. With “30 years of experience in the Christian publishing industry” she has worked previously at Tyndale House and Oasis Audio. A number of the launch titles are being published in collaboration with Christianity Today.
Bienstock Sold to UTA; Paradigm In Music Joint Venture
Consolidation of Hollywood agencies is continuing, with UTA announcing on Wednesday it is acquiring N.S. Bienstock, which specializes in representing hundreds of TV news personalities and producers. Co-presidents of Bienstock Richard Liebner and his wife Carol Cooper will remain in charge of the unit. Terms of the acquisition were not announced, but the LAT reports that UTA financed the deal itself rather than turning to an outside partner (in contract to WME and CAA, both of which have partnered with major private equity firms to finance their expansions). Separately, the LAT notes that another talent agency, Paradigm, announced Monday it […]
Pearson Earnings Lowered On “Tough” US Education Market and Higher Restructuring Costs
Pearson provided a market update in advance of their February 28 full-year earnings report, telling investors that adjusted earnings per share will be lower than previously expected. Gross earnings are in line with their previous expectations, but restructuring costs of £170 million were £20 million higher than forecast in October, and cost savings from those changes were £10 million lower than planned. They note that “additional restructuring activity including an added warehouse closure announced in late 2013.” Pearson’s shares were down roughly 8 percent in early trading on the disappointing news. Total gross operating profit for 2013 will be approximately […]
People, Etc.
Graham Bell will move up to executive director of EDItEUR as of April 1, after Mark Bide retires. Bell has been chief data architect of EDItEUR since joining the organization in 2010, after working as head of publishing systems at Harper UK. In the Crown production department, Luisa Francavilla has been promoted to associate production director; Patricia Shaw moves up to senior production editor/digital copy chief; and Shira Gluck, Virginia Rhoda, and Heather Williamson have all been promoted to production associate. At Putnam and Amy Einhorn Books, Kelly Welsh Rudolph has been promoted to assistant director of publicity. Christopher Rhodes […]