Lippincott Massie McQuilkin announced that they will manage all back-office operations of the Irene Skolnick Literary Agency. LMQ has been selling and managing foreign rights for Skolnick’s authors since 2010.
Skolnick says in the announcement, “I am delighted to be moving the agency to the offices of my friends at LMQ, where I will be able to focus my energies on the parts of the job I love most — finding and nurturing literary talent.” Rob McQuilkin notes they “feel honored that Irene is entrusting us with an agency she has so carefully and lovingly built over the past twenty years.”
Former ceo of Barnes & Noble William Lynch has been hired as ceo of Savant Systems, a home-technology automation company. He takes over from founder and majority Robert Madonna, who will stay with the company as chairman.
Scholastic has promoted Rose Else-Mitchell to the new position of evp, Scholastic Education (reporting to president Margery Mayer), and publisher, Global Education (reporting to Shane Armstrong). She has been at Scholastic since 2001. As evp of Scholastic Education she will “oversee the creation and development of print-based, blended learning, and technology product and services for the pre-K to 12 education market.” As publisher for Global Education, she will create a “global roadmap for the company’s education products, seeking out synergies between international and U.S. needs.”
Tim Cooper has been promoted to managing director of Harlequin UK, taking over from Mandy Ferguson — who moves up to the new position of vp, Europe and India, reporting to the COO Overseas. Jocasta Kelsey will join the company on February 17 as commercial director (Cooper’s previous role). She has consulted with Harlequin UK on the launch of Carina UK.
Crime author Henning Mankell, 65, revealed in a Swedish newspaper that he learned recently he has cancer, with tumors in his neck, lung, and possibly elsewhere in his body. He will write about his experience for the newspaper in a series of columns. “I have decided to write it just as it is, about the difficult battle it always is. But I will write from the perspective of life, not death.”
At National Geographic Books, Rachel Graham has been promoted to senior director, digital book publishing, responsible for strategically managing both adult and children’s digital book business across all markets.
Louise Allen-Jones Associates has been retained by French publishing group Edi8, incorporating Editions Les Escales, Feux Croisés, Editions Plon and Plon Perrin.
Writer Beware warns that PublishAmerica has changed its name to operate as America Star Books.
In awards news, Nathan Filer‘s debut novel THE SHOCK OF THE FALL, published in the US as WHERE THE MOON ISN’T, won the overall Costa Award. (It was a November 2013 Indie Next pick.)
The Target Book Club pick for February is Susan Crandall‘s WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD (which publishes February 4).