Former PGW president Susan Reich has teamed up with financial advisor and consultant David Lamb to form Book Advisors, “to advise publishers on mergers and acquisitions in addition to providing consulting on strategic planning, digital publishing, distribution, and operational issues.” Reich is based in Oakland, CA and Lamb is in New York. Reich says in the announcement, “I’ve known David for twenty years and worked with him on the sales of PGW and Avalon Publishing. Combining my operational experience with David’s financial advisory background will give Book Advisors clients the best of both worlds.”
Molly O’Neill has joined the Waxman Leavell Agency as a literary agent. She was an editor at Harper Children’s and head of editorial at Storybird.
At Penguin Classics, Elda Rotor has been promoted to vp, publisher.
The Crown Publishing Group announced a number of recent promotions. Megan Perritt is promoted to assistant publicity director, Crown Business and Crown Forum, while Ayelet Gruenspecht moves up to assistant marketing director for both imprints. Carly Gorga, currently assistant marketing director at Clarkson Potter is taking on broader responsibilities and has been promoted to the newly created position of assistant director, partnerships. Also at Clarkson Potter, Kevin Sweeting moves up to marketing manager. Christina Foxley is promoted to assistant director, marketing for Archetype and Three Rivers, in addition to her current marketing responsibilities for Harmony, And in the ad/promo department, Seth Morris is promoted to assistant director, and Ellyn Russo moves up to assistant manager. Finally, Kate Rados has moved up to vp, community development for the group.
Former William Morrow senior director of publicity Ben Bruton has launched his own book publicity firm, Ben Bruton Literary, specializing in publicity campaigns for literary, general, commercial, and debut fiction, as well as narrative and general nonfiction, including history, biography, memoir, and pop culture.
MacKenzie Fraser-Bub has gone out on her own as an independent literary agent.
Angela Scheff and Jana Burson have both joined the Christopher Ferebee Agency as literary agents. Scheff was most recently associate publisher at Zondervan and a freelance editorial consultant; Burson launched her own agency, The Burson agency, in 2014, after working as an editor and publicity director for Hachette’s Nashville-based imprints.
At Delacorte, Krista Vitola has been promoted to editor.
At Blue Rider Press, Katie Zaborsky has been promoted to assistant editor.
David DeWitt has joined has joined little bee books as a designer. Previously he was a designer at Scholastic.
Distribution
Chronicle Books will distribute Hardie Grant Books, a Melbourne-based publisher of illustrated books, in the US and Canada.
IPG announced a number of new distribution deals in the US and Canada for itself and subsidiary divisions. IPG is now distributing Pelican Book Group, while Trafalgar Square Publishing will distribute Top That Publishing and Melbournestyle Books in July 2016, and Booklife and Johnnie Rocket in Fall 2016. River North Editions now distributes CAST Professional Publishing, while Art Stock Books will distribute Lund Humphries Publishers in Spring 2016. Finally, IPG Spanish Books will distribute Editorial Alma in February; and Plaza y Valdés, Primerapersona, and Creotz in Fall 2016.