John Parsley has been named vp, editor-in-chief of Dutton, filling part of the role vacated when Ben Sevier departed to become publisher of Grand Central. It’s a nearly even trade between companies, as Parsely was vp, executive editor at Little, Brown. Putnam/Berkley/Dutton president Ivan Held said in the announcement: “John’s own list, along with his ability to further empower the great editorial team that is in place at Dutton, signal continued high-level, distinctive, and focused publishing from this imprint.”
Also at Dutton, executive editor Brent Howard will move over from Berkley, bringing the Caliber military-history list with him, reporting to Parsley.
Natasha Simons has been promoted to editor at Gallery Books and Threshold Editions.
Jill Petty is joining Northwestern University Press as acquisitions editor. Previously, she was senior editor at Beacon Press.
Alanna Feldman has left Mary Anne Thompson Associates to start Alanna Feldman Scouting. She has been appointed US scout for the Orion Publishing Group, which is her first client.
Meredith Barnes has joined Harlequin’s general fiction publicity department as publicity manager, to work on publicity campaigns for MIRA Books, Park Row Books, and Hanover Square Press. Previously, she led publicity, library presence, and digital marketing strategy at Soho Press.
Idea Architects has announced that Abner Stein will represent their British Commonwealth rights.
Awards
The Story Prize was given to Rick Bass for his collection For a Little While.
The Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation and the English department at the University of California, Berkeley are launching a new $50,000 literary award, The Simpson Family Literary Prize. The award will go to “a writer who has earned a distinguished reputation and the approbation and gratitude of readers.” The inaugural recipient will be a mid-career fiction author, selected by an anonymous jury, with the winner to be named this spring.