Libby McGuire has joined The Gernert Company as an agent. Most recently she was publisher at Ballantine Bantam Dell, which she left a year ago. David Gernert said in the announcement: “Having worked with Libby for years I have no doubt that she will be a terrific, and terrifically successful, agent. And her vast experience in publishing will be helpful to us in a variety of ways.” McGuire added: “I have long admired the talent and strategy of The Gernert Company, so when I made the decision to become an agent, they were my first choice. I am thrilled to bring my passion for authors and championing their work to this new role.”
Andy Cummings will join Lerner Publishing as vice president & editor-in-chief on January 20, working out of the company’s Minneapolis office. Most recently he was vp, strategic development for the Dummies brand at Wiley, and prior to that was vp, publisher of Dummies Technology for 13 years.
Flatiron Books announced a number of recent promotions and new hires. Sarah Barley and Christine Kopprasch have both been promoted to executive editor. Nancy Trypuc has moved over as senior executive director of marketing; previously she was vp, creative services at St. Martin’s. Molly Fonseca has been promoted to senior marketing manager, while Steven Boriack moves up to publicity manager. Finally, Erin Gordon will join as marketing designer/developer on January 9.
Tom Mackay has joined Mary Evans Inc. as an associate agent. He previously scouted for Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (In addition, Julia Kardon has been promoted to vice president.)
At the Robin Straus Agency, Katelyn Hales has been promoted to junior agent.
Chris McEwen has been promoted to creative executive at New Leaf Literary & Media. Previously, he was story editor.
Brigitte Shull will join Cambridge University Press later this month as senior vice president for Academic Publishing in the Americas, responsible for the overall management and direction of the business in this part of the world. She was most recently vp of management, business, economics, and political science publishing at Springer Nature.
Hannah Davies has joined UK public relations agency Four Colman Getty as prizes and communications specialist , leading campaigns for their portfolio of book awards clients.
Brian Kelleher has left Simon & Schuster, where he spent 28 years, most recently as sales director working on Books-A-Million and Wholesale Book Company. Kelleher may be reached at briankelleher@gmail.com.
Obituaries
Longtime Norton sales rep Kristin Keith, 45, died January 4 of complications from myelofibrosis. Keith joined the company more than 8 years ago as mid-Atlantic sales rep, and before then served as regional Publishers Group West rep, staying through the first two years of the Perseus merger. In a note to the staff, Norton chairman Drake McFeely said: Kristin’s passion for books, for Norton, and for life itself were a model for us all. Her accounts adored her. All the rest of us who knew her felt the same way.”
Former bookseller Nadine Beck, co-founder with her late husband Bob of Beck Book Store, Inc. in the Chicago area, died December 23 of natural causes. She was 94.