Karen Kosztolnyik will return to Grand Central on May 30 (where she once was executive editor) as vp and editor-in-chief, under new publisher Ben Sevier. Reporting to Kosztolnyik will be editors Millicent Bennett, Maddie Caldwell, Wes Miller, Suzanne O’Neill, Lindsey Rose, and Gretchen Young, along with their teams. Kosztolnyik will acquire and edit “in her areas of interest, most prominently in commercial and literary fiction.” Most recently she was executive editor at Gallery and Scout Press, which she joined in 2011. Sevier says in the announcement Kosztolnyik “is well known in the book business for her taste, for her devotion to authors and their books, and for her warmth and generosity of spirit. Everyone at Grand Central will benefit from Karen’s breadth of experience and from the care and attention to quality she is known for.”
The ABA has appointed Bradley Graham, co-owner of Washington D.C.’s Politics & Prose, to the board, filling the vacancy created by the election of Robert Sindelar to ABA president.
Sarah Fairhall will join Viz Media as senior editor, licensed publishing. Previously, she was commissioning editor for Penguin Random House Australia.
Madeleine Colavita has been promoted to editor at Grand Central imprints Forever and Forever Yours.
Jennifer Hergenroeder has been promoted to publicity and marketing director for The Experiment.
Diana Gvozden will join Marianne Schonbach Literary Agency as literary agent for domestic and foreign clients, effective July 1. She was commissioning editor at Hollands Diep.
At Books & Such Literary Management, writer Cynthia Ruchti will join the agency as a literary agent.
In the UK, founder and publisher of Lantana Press Alice Curry has won the 2017 Kim Scott Walwyn Prize for being a “great role model for future generations starting out in publishing.”
Bookselling
Flagstaff’s Barefoot Cowgirl Books has changed ownership and its name. New co-owners Lisa Lamberson, Ben Shaffer, and Annette Avery have renamed the store Bright Side Bookshop. The new owners plan to increase activities as well as the selection. Lamberson said, “We envision offering broader kids, young adult, middle reader and local history sections.”
NewSouth bookstore in Montgomery, Alabama will expand into a larger space. Owner Suzanne La Rosa plans take over a part of the building currently used by NewSouth publishing to make room for a new children’s area and events space. She also plans to “revamp the building, ramp up the inventory of new items, and start selling some side items like stationary.”