Michelle Aielli has been named executive director of publicity for Hachette Books. She moves over from Little, Brown, where she was most recently publicity director.
At Simon & Schuster, Jennifer Grojean has been promoted to director, national accounts for special markets, while Bianca Johnson moves up to manager, adult custom & proprietary sales. In addition, Alex Maurer has joined as manager, children’s custom & proprietary sales. Previously she was senior coordinator, custom & proprietary sales at Penguin.
At HarperCollins Children’s, Nellie Kurtzman has joined as director of integrated marketing. Previously she was marketing director at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. In addition, Cheryl Rozier has been named director of integrated marketing, advertising and promotion. Previously she was advertising director at Hachette Book Group, working across adult and children’s divisions.
At Kensington, Mala Bhattacharjee has joined as communications and marketing manager, Dafina & Women’s Fiction. Previously she was features editor at RT Book Reviews. In addition, Morgan Elwell has been named communications & marketing manager, Mystery & Thrillers, having most recently served as a producer on a number of TV programs in Virginia, including Virginia This Morning.
HarperCollins announced the formation of a new global podcast network, HarperCollins Presents, featuring interviews and conversations with authors including David Baddiel, Veronica Roth, Wilbur Smith, Patricia Cornwell, and others to follow. Podcasts are available on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
The Giller Prize will be hosted by Rick Mercer, a last-minute substitution for Jian Ghomeshi, who was abruptly fired over the weekend as host of CBC Radio’s Q in the wake of sexual assault allegations. The ceremony will take place November 10.