Pam Krauss will join Avery on February 1 in the dual position of vp, publisher, Pam Krauss Books, as well as editor-at-large for Avery, reporting to Megan Newman. In her new role, Krauss will expand Avery’s cookbook and other food-related titles, with the imprint now set to “focus on titles that explore new approaches to eating and living well.” Krauss and her imprint are moving over from Clarkson Potter, where she will retain her editorial association with several of her long-standing authors, who will continue to be published by Potter: Ina Garten, Giada de Laurentiis, and Alice Waters.
At Penguin Random House, Claire von Schilling has been promoted to evp, corporate communications, and is also appointed to the North American board of directors. PRH ceo Markus Dohle said in the announcement: “All of us who have worked with Claire know that she invites and celebrates diverse perspectives at all stages of planning and implementation, and consistently enhances our culture of inclusiveness. I am grateful that we will continue to benefit from her leadership, insights, and experience, and her commitment to collaborating with our colleagues around the world to tell our company story.”
Literary agent Robert Caskie is leaving PFD in about six weeks, to explore new opportunities “in a related industry.” He tells the Bookseller, “Seven years is a long time. I felt is was a natural time for change.” Caskie has been chief operating officer as well as an agent, and headed up the launch of their digital publishing line ipso books, which will be run day-to-day by associate publisher Kate Evans.
Barnes & Noble’s new chief digital officer Fred Argir has joined the line-up of keynote speakers at Digital Book World (coming up soon, March 7 – 9), where he will discuss their new focus on the mobile “connected customer,” both in stores and online, and broader plans for using technology to drive their omni-channel retail strategy. Along with information on how effective collaboration with publishers can help drive their new initiatives. (Register here for the extra discount provided to Publishers Lunch readers.)
Chronicle Books announced a number of recent promotions. Julia Patrick is promoted to associate manager, trade shows and events, while Jaime Wong moves up to associate marketing manager, children’s. Katie Lindsey has been promoted to sales materials coordinator, and Sarah Lin Go moves up to publicity coordinator.
LitHub interviews Lee Boudreaux as the first book from her new imprint publishes: “I don’t like chasing that hot thing. I want to like what I like. When I bought Prep at Random House eight other editors had already passed on it. Edgar Sawtelle was this weird 900-page thing that landed right before Christmas and luckily I had the flu and was home when other people were probably busy. I try very hard to stay true to my own reaction rather than listen to all of the focus grouping or conventional wisdom. When I bought Sisters Brothers people thought, meh, Westerns don’t work. When I bought Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles, people were like meh, that genre doesn’t work, the whole the sword and sandals thing.”
Award-winning poet and writing professor at Brown University C.D. Wright died unexpectedly on January 12.
Awards
Kevin Ashton won the 800-CEO-READ Business Book of the Year Award for How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery. Their Jack Covert Award for Contribution to the Business Book Industry was given to Portfolio publisher Adrian Zackheim.
Partnerships
In the second diversity initiative announced this week, the University of Washington has received a $682,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to “create a pipeline program to diversify academic publishing through funded acquisitions apprenticeships at four university presses.” The project includes the MIT Press, Duke University Press, and the University of Georgia Press. The grant will fund “cohorts of four fellows, one at each participating publisher, for each of the next three years. The program will recruit fellows who have significant personal experience and engagement with diverse communities and a demonstrated ability to bring the understandings gleaned from such engagement to the daily work of academic publishing. With support from the AAUP as well, the University Press Diversity Fellowship Program is “intended to address the marked lack of diversity present across the publishing industry.”