At HarperCollins, chief digital officer Chantal Restivo-Alessi is taking on the additional responsibilities of evp, International, overseeing the growing foreign language program built on top of some of infrastructure acquired as part of Harlequin. CEO Brian Murray writes: “In this new role, Chantal will oversee the HarperCollins foreign language program to ensure we’re hitting all the targets necessary for growth and develop new processes and procedures so we can achieve the ambitious plans laid out for our foreign language publishing program while setting up structures that support our authors in new ways.”
She will work in partnership with Harlequin chief operating officer International Steve Miles, who will continue to manage Harlequin Australia and all translation markets. Murray notes, “Although we have rebranded our foreign language offices as HarperCollins, revenues from our translation markets will primarily come from Harlequin series and individual titles for many years to come as we ramp up our HarperCollins publishing efforts.”
Rob Zaffiris remains svp, finance and strategic new business development, and will “continue to be involved in identifying, negotiating, closing and setting up both domestic and international acquisition targets.” He will also work with Harlequin’s joint venture partners in Brazil, Italy and France, “where we are expanding our relationships in order to build our translation program with the ideal partners and services behind our publishing efforts in each market.”
At Perseus, Liz Tzetzo will move over from companywide sales to Basic Books on May 4, where she will be vp, director of marketing and sales.
At the Random House Publishing Group, Susana Zialcita has been promoted to deputy director of digital marketing.
Words without Borders will present Metropolitan Books publisher Sara Bershtel with the 2015 Ottaway Award for the Promotion of International Literature later this year.
Obituary
National Book Award for the memoir This House of Sky and author of 16 books Ivan Doig, 75, died early Thursday of multiple myeloma. During the eight years of his illness, he wrote four novels, including Last Bus to Wisdom, which Riverhead will publish on August 18. “Doig believed that ordinary people deserve to have their stories told, and he did that in fact and fiction,” publisher Geoff Kloske writes. He adds: “Ivan was one of the greats. We have lost a friend, a beloved author, a national treasure.”