McClelland & Stewart publisher Ellen Seligman died on Friday, the publisher reported. PRH Canada president Kristin Cochrane wrote to staff: “Ellen was widely recognized as one of the world’s best editors, with impeccable literary taste and instincts. Her passion for nurturing and developing Canadian writers was renowned, as was her commitment to publishing in Canada both new and established writers from around the world.” She also notes, “No one who knew Ellen will be surprised to learn that she spent many of her last days meticulously overseeing the final details for her fall books. With extraordinary passion and care, Ellen completed the edit of Steven […]
Archives for March 2016
Briefs
Children’s book author Beverly Cleary appeared on the Today Show, in advance of her 100th birthday, on April 12. The WSJ has short profiles of “six of the world’s most esteemed translators” (by “world” they mean the world of translating other languages into English): Don Bartlett, Jamey Gambrell, Ann Goldstein, Edith Grossman, Lydia Davis, and Michael Hofmann. The Romance Writers of America named the finalists for their annual RITA Awards, with the winers to be announced July 16 at their annual conference. J.K. Rowling is receiving a lot of attention for sharing via Twitter two form letter rejections of her first […]
Mondadori Rizzoli Merger Is Approved
Thirteen months after first making an offer, Mondadori has won conditional approval of their 127.5 million euro purchase of RCS Mediagroup’s Rizzoli book publishing division from Italy’s Antitrust Authority. RCS told shareholders the closing of the deal is set for mid-April. In line with the preliminary recommendations we reported on at the beginning of the month, the government is requiring that Mondadori sell RCS’s Bompiani and their 51 percent share in Marsilio/Sonzogno. The commission also is requiring a variety of “behavioral measures to stimulate competition in the activity of the publishing and distribution of books” that include the “waiver of the option […]
Trade Gains Lift Scholastic’s Sales, on Narrower Seasonal Loss
Scholastic reported fiscal third quarter results on Thursday, with sales up $19.5 million to $366 million, as losses from continuing operations were cut by over half to 21 cents a share, compared to 48 cents a share a year ago. The operating loss of $16.4 million was also well below last year’s deficit this quarter of $24.7 million. (Scholastic typically reports a seasonal loss in the third quarter, which is generally its weakest.) The strong US dollar cost the company $9 million in negative foreign exchange. Fiscal 2016 sales are still projected to be roughly $1.65 billion, but the company reduced earnings guidance […]
People, Etc.
Megan Schumann will join the Crown Publishing Group on March 28 as senior publicist/marketer for Convergent Books, Crown Business, and Crown Forum. Previously she was a publicist at Dey Street Books & William Morrow. At Chronicle Books, Kayla Ferriera has been promoted to designer. Awards The Whiting Awards were announced in a ceremony Wednesday evening, including Mitchell Jackson, Alice Sola Kim, and Catherine Lacey (fiction); Brian Blanchfield and J.D. Daniels (nonfiction); LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Layli Long Soldier, Safiya Sinclair, and Ocean Vuong (poetry); and Madeleine George (drama). Each of the winners receives $50,000. Catherine Kapphahn won the Center for Fiction’s Christopher […]
Briefs: Diversion Spins Off Radius Book Group; Marie Force Launches Publisher; and More
Diversion Publishing is launching a new self-publishing division, Radius Book Group, led by vp, business development Mary Cummings and managing editor Fiona Hallowell. Radius will sell aspiring authors packages ranging from DIY options through Ingram Spark to comprehensive publishing services. Bestselling self-published author Marie Force is launching a new contemporary romance company, Jack’s House Publishing. Force says in the announcement, “Jack’s House came about after many authors contacted me to ask when I was going to get into the publishing business.” She notes, “I had all the players already in place after four years of running my Formatting Fairies business, which I founded […]