At Putnam, Ashley Hewlett has been promoted to senior publicist while Sarah Grimm moves up to associate publicist.
Following the sales of Santillana’s trade book business to Penguin Random House, Maria B. Campbell Associates is now the US literary scout for all of the company’s Spanish-language (and Portuguese-language) book divisions: Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial in Spain and Portugal, Companhia das Letras and Objetiva in Brazil.
With further hostage developments in Paris following Wednesday’s Charlie Hebdo attacks, Michel Houellebecq has stopped promotion of his novel SUBMISSION (with the exception of a pre-recorded interview that will air on Canal+ Friday night) and has left Paris “for an unspecified rural retreat”, according to his agent. Houellebecq was apparently “deeply affected” by the death of his friend, the economist and author Bernard Maris, in the attacks.
Books-A-Million also reported results for the 9-week holiday period between Thanksgiving and January 3, with sales rising $1.3 million to $129.2 million and store comps up 1.2 percent versus the same period in the prior year. President and ceo Terrance Finley said in a statement that the company “delivered solid sales performance against last year’s holiday selling season” with stronger sales in full priced books, gifts (largely due to Disney’s Frozen licensed products), online, which saw “double digit sales increases.”