Jared Bland has been named to the new role of publisher, McClelland & Stewart. He has been arts editor at the Globe & Mail since 2014, after joining the paper the year before as books editor (and was an editor at House of Anansi Press before then). One-time president and publisher of M&S when it used to operate independently Doug Pepper — who is now publisher of the Signal imprint — will report to Bland, along with the M&S editorial team and the online magazine Hazlitt. President and publisher, Penguin Random House Canada Kristin Cochrane says in the announcement, “When we began speaking about […]
Archives for July 2016
Briefs: Johnson’s Book on Shakespeare Delayed or Cancelled, and More
Newly appointed UK foreign secretary and Brexit campaign leader Boris Johnson‘s forthcoming book on Shakespeare, scheduled for release on November 15 from Hodder & Stoughton and Riverhead, will not be published this year, and may not be published at all according to the Daily Mail. They report Johnson “is believed to be having to pay back a £500,000 advance” to Hodder & Stoughton having “conceded he doesn’t have the time” to write the book. A spokesperson for Riverhead put it differently, writing: “In light of his new responsibilities in the UK, Boris Johnson will be unable to complete his book […]
Potential Stalking Horse Bid Has Hastings On Likely Path to Liquidation
With a potential auction — if there are any bidders — scheduled for July 20, a number of motions have been filed in which Hasting Entertainment is trying to secure a stalking horse bid. After filing for bankruptcy protection just over a month ago, the distressed entertainment retailer looks to be headed for liquidation rather than reorganization, however, since the prospective bid is from liquidators Hilco and Gordon Brothers. In its current form, that bid would just cover the secured lenders, and leave little or nothing for unsecured trade creditors, including many publishers. The proposed stalking horse bid “provides for […]
People, Etc.
Matt Mullin has joined Ingram’s Lightning Source as key accounts sales manager in their New York office. Previously, he was at The Reading Room and before that at Barnes & Noble. Rachel Poloski has joined Random House Children’s as editor. Previously she was an associate editor for Disney Publishing’s Marvel Press. Alexis Kirschbaum will move to Bloomsbury UK on September 13 as publishing director, reporting to Alexandra Pringle. She is currently editorial director at Penguin Press UK. At Harlequin UK, Lucy Gough has been promoted to assistant managing editor. “Leading literary figure of Southern California” Carolyn See, 82, died Wednesday in […]
Moving On
Earlier this week, FW Media announced that Ted Hill will oversee programming for a rebooted, more finely- and skills-focused DBW, as our conference partner Mike Shatzkin noted in a long blog post on the end of the “big change” era in publishing that he will no longer program the event. Mike and I were always partners in programming, producing and promoting the event since it started in 2010 — with former FW ceo David Nussbaum providing the founding direction and spark — so to be clear, our association [e.g. Publishers Lunch, and Michael Cader] with the event has ended as well. […]
Penny’s A Great Reckoning Tops August Library Reads List
Louise Penny’s newest mystery A Great Reckoning is the No. 1 pick for the August Library Reads list. You can start reading an excerpt of another novel on the list, The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena, right now at Buzz Books 2016: Fall/Winter. The rest of the list features: Watching Edie, by Camilla Way The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living, by Louise Miller The Dollhouse, by Fiona Davis The Book That Matters Most, by Ann Hood Arrowood, by Laura McHugh Behind Closed Doors, by B.A. Paris First Star I See Tonight, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips Die Like An Eagle, […]