Lisa Lucas, 36, the publisher of arts magazine Guernica, will become executive director of the National Book Foundation, starting March 14. She tells the NYT, “Readers are everything, readers are everyone. It should be about building one big massive audience that’s reflective of where we live.” She adds, “The practice of building readers, is the practice of building a better world.” Taking over from Harold Augenbraum, Lucas will be the third person to lead the NBF.
Chairman of the NBF David Steinberger says in the announcement, “Lisa Lucas is a dynamic leader who has served as a passionate advocate for literature and has built an impressive track record of accomplishment in the not-for-profit world across theater, film and literature.”
Hillel Black, 86, former publisher of Macmillan’s adult general books division, died in Manhattan on Monday morning. Black also held positions at William Morrow, where he was editor-in-chief, and Sourcebooks, where he was executive editor.
The Audio Publishers Association announced nominations for their Audie awards, across 25 categories. Winners will be named on May 11.
Initiatives
Simon & Schuster has launched Riveted, a new website for fans of young adult literature, television, film, and online culture. The site features contributions from authors including Jenny Han, Morgan Matson, Siobhan Vivian, Suzanne Young and Scott Westerfeld, and will offer lists, articles, quizzes, videos, giveaways, exclusive content reveals (including material related to the newest Shadowhunters title by Cassandra Clare) and behind-the-scenes visits with an array of writers.
Corporate
In Germany, publicly-traded publisher Bastei Lubbe is putting all of their digital media businesses into a separate holding company, Bastei Ventures. They say “the measure is intended to make the many different digital and analogue output channels more manageable and thus more transparent for investors.”