Penguin Random House announced a number of recent promotions in the sales department. Julie Black has promoted to senior vice president, sales strategic planning, while Tom Cox moves up to svp, mass merchandise & sistributor sales. In addition, Kim Shannon is promoted to svp, retail sales, and Jeff Weber moves up to svp, online & digital sales.
Isabelle Bleecker and Jennifer Thompson are launching Nordlyset Literary Agency (which means The Northern Lights in Norwegian), a new agency offering full rights services for independent publishers and agencies, as well as author representation worldwide. Previously they worked together for fifteen years handling rights for the Perseus Books imprints. They are joined by business manager Nathan Vogt.
Awards
As of this year, books originally published in English in Ireland will be eligible for the Man Booker Prize. The aim of the new rule is to “to ensure independent Irish publishers are given the same opportunity to be recognized” as larger publishers who are able to release simultaneously in the UK. Gaby Wood, Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation says, “We’re delighted to support Irish publishers and the writers whose work they bring into the world. So much exciting new fiction is being written and published concurrently in Ireland and the UK that we felt it was only right to acknowledge and honour that.”