Wendy Levinson (formerly Silbert) is re-joining Harvey Klinger on November 30 in the newly created position of director of development. In her new role, Levinson will seek new clients for the agency focusing on adult fiction and non-fiction with the occasional YA or middle grade. The clients will then be distributed among the agency’s agents. She will also work in an editorial capacity on existing agency projects. Maggie Southard has joined Little, Brown as publicist. Previously she was an associate publicist at Knopf. Janea Brachfeld will join Storey Publishing and Timber Press as trade sales coordinator. Previously she was the […]
Archives for November 2015
Bertelsmann Earnings Gain In Third Quarter
In a brief third quarter trading update (in the European tradition) Bertelsmann says they had “stronger growth in revenues and profits” over the past three months “than during the first half of the present fiscal year” — when sales had grown modestly, though due to currency exchange and acquisitions, sliding on an organic basis. Sales were up €141 million in the third quarter (or 3.5 percent), to €4.112 billion, as “operating EBITDA improved markedly.” For the first 9 months, Bertelsmann has earned €573 million in operating profit, a record for this point in the fiscal year and equal to what they earned […]
People, Etc.
Martha Rago has been appointed to the newly created position of executive creative director, Random House Children’s Books,reporting to Judith Haut, as the children’s art departments are united. Isabel Warren-Lynch, executive art director for the Knopf, Delacorte, Crown, and Wendy Lamb Books imprints, and her team, will report to Rago, as will Tracy Tyler, executive art director, licensed publishing; associate art director Nicole de las Heras; and Jason Zamajtuk, art director, Random House/Golden Books for Young Readers. Colleen Lindsay has joined Open Road as senior marketing manager, reporting to Mary McAveney, focused primarily on sci-fi/fantasy, mystery, and thriller titles. Previously she […]
Groff’s Fates and Furies Is Amazon’s Book of the Year
Amazon editors have posted their annual package of picks for best books of the year — from a top 100 books list to a roster of top 20 picks across more than 20 categories. Their top 20 books overall (including four books first previewed in one of our Buzz Books samplers: 1. Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff* 2. Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates 3. Becoming Nicole, by Amy Ellis Nutt 4. An Ember in the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir* 5. The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah 6. The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough 7. H is for […]
People: Stein Joins ICM, Giller Winner, and Goop
Anna Stein will join ICM as an agent on December 1, based in the New York office. She has been an agent at Aitken Alexander for the past six years, opening and running their New York office. Stein’s client list includes Hanya Yanagihara, Ben Lerner, Laird Hunt, and Maria Semple. ICMco-head of publications Sloan Harris said in the announcement: “As her clients’ success with readers and literary awards demonstrates, Anna is a tastemaker and a terrific advocate for authors.” Stein added: “It is a true privilege to join such a warm, dynamic and talented group of agents.” At Nation Books, Katy O’Donnell has […]
In Strong July Sales Report, Children’s Segment Turns Positive
The AAP reported July sales for the 1,200 or so publishers who provide them with monthly data (so covering only the first part of the third quarter that public companies are reporting now), with solid gains in trade, at $555.7 million, up $55.3 million from a year ago. Notably, children’s books and YA, which powered nearly all of the trade’s increase in 2014, turned positive for the first month so far in 2015. Children’s sales of $142.3 million were up $14.7 million. Children’s hardcovers turned positive, up $3.6 million, with most of the increase coming from trade paperbacks, up $10.5 […]