Longtime Little, Brown executive editor Tracy Behar will become vp, publisher and editor-in-chief of a new imprint for the division, devoted to health, lifestyle, psychology, and science. The imprint will launch in fall 2018, and will include an additional editor and dedicated marketer. Little, Brown publisher Reagan Arthur says in the announcement, “With so many evolving opportunities in these categories, we’re eager to increase Little, Brown’s presence in this growing market, and to have Tracy Behar leading the way. It would be impossible to find an editor more highly regarded by her authors, their agents, and her colleagues than Tracy.” Behar adds, “It’s been a joy to build my list at Little, Brown, with the best colleagues in the business. I couldn’t be more excited to take on this expanded role, to continue to grow my existing authors, and to work with new authors on books that will change the way we think, feel, and live.”
Cassie Hanjian is joining DeFiore and Company as an agent, focusing primarily on books for the mind/body/spirit, health and wellness, self-help, and inspiration markets. She was most recently at Waxman Leavell Literary Agency.
Eileen Lawrence will join Tor Books as executive director of marketing, starting October 30. She has been associate publisher for Algonquin Children’s.
Scholastic has terminated chief financial officer and chief administrative officer Maureen O’Connell, and promoted Kenneth Cleary to chief financial officer effective today. Paul Hukkanen moves up to fill Clearly’s previous role as chief accounting officer, and Vincent Lucinese becomes vp, controller and shared services support.
Acquisitions
Red Wheel/Weiser is acquiring Career Press as of November 1, adding over 800 titles to their catalog, according to an announcement provided to PW. Laurie Kelly-Pye and Michael Pye will move over to Red Wheel, as sales director for national accounts and associate publisher of Career Press. Separately, Red Wheel has hired former Shambhala publisher Peter Turner as associate publisher and he will start a new imprint focused on “meditation, the practical application of the teachings of the Buddha, and the perennial philosophies of the world’s wisdom traditions.”
Bookselling
The Barnes & Noble in Grosse Pointe, MI will close in mid-January 2018, when the lease on its space near St. John Hospital expires. Barnes & Noble vice president of real estate development Jim Lampassi says they are looking for another space in Grosse Point.
Educator Rebekah Shoaf opened a pop-up location of South Bronx bookstore-in-the-works Boogie Down Books on Saturday. The pop-up received funding from the Citizens Committee for New York City’s Neighborhood Grant program, which provides micro-loans of up to $3,000 to resident-led community projects. Volunteers gave out 200 free books to kids aged 11-18. Currently, there is no major bookstore in the Bronx.
Distribution
Cameron + Company will move North American sales and trade distribution for their Cameron Books and Cameron Kids imprints to Abrams from PGW, starting with the sprign 2018 lists. Their general nonfiction line Roundtree Press will continue to be distributed by PGW.