Simon & Schuster Audio announced a number of recent promotions. Desiree Vecchio has been promoted to the position of editor; Christina Zarafonitis moves up to senior producer; Louisa Solomon has been promoted to managing producer & casting director; and Michael Noble moves up to senior associate producer.
In the UK, Peter Owen — founder of the publisher that carries his name — died at 89 on Tuesday after a short illness. Owen had moved up to chairman of the company last summer; his daughter Antonia Owen will now move take over as publisher.
An AP story credits Peter Costanzo — currently digital and archival publishing manager for the AP — with getting Donald Trump onto social media and establishing his @realDonaldTrump Twitter handle. Costanzo was working for the Perseus Books Group at the time, as the company was publishing Trump’s 2010 book Think Like A Champion through Vanguard Press. Costanzo was given 7 minutes to pitch the idea at Trump Tower: “He thought about it for a minute and said, ‘I like it. Let’s do it.'” Costanzo adds, “He seemed very excited about the idea of being able to reach people so directly. I think he immediately got it.”
Awards
The Orwell Prize was awarded to Arkady Ostrovsky for The Invention of Russia (Viking).