Founder and ceo of Chicago Review Press Curt Matthews announced he will retire from day-to-day management of the company, which is the parent company of Chicago Review Press Books, Triumph Books, and Independent Publishers Group, at the end of the year. Joe Matthews, currently coo of IPG, will take over as ceo in January, while Matthews will remain as board chairman and keep an office at company headquarters to insure a smooth management transition.
Matthews, who founded CRP Inc. in 1973, said in the announcement: “It has been a wild ride. The publication of one book turned into a company that now supplies 56,000 titles to readers all around the English speaking world.” Of his son’s succession, Matthews added: “Joe has been with the company now for ten years and has worn many hats. He has a record of strong performance in Sales and Marketing, IT, Operations, and Financial Management. He has the energy and new ideas that can keep CRP vital and growing for another 40 years.”
Jackie Burke will join Algonquin as senior publicist. Previously she was a publicist at the Portfolio, Sentinel, and Current imprints at Penguin. In addition, Brooke Csuka has been promoted to publicist while Lauren Moseley moves up to marketing manager. Finally, Krestyna Lypen has been promoted to editor, Algonquin Young Readers.
International
Penguin Random House UK is launching a one-year trial program to make the company’s ebooks available to libraries for lending. The terms will be more restrictive than their US offer (which is being updated for 2016); PRH UK will not make frontlist titles available until three months after publication and will not sell ebooks to libraries outright; each title is available for two years after purchase or a maximum of 36 loans (whichever comes first).