Hannah Carmack has joined Sourcebooks as events marketing specialist, while Ashlyn Keil has joined as author marketing associate. Misty Vernon has joined the digital marketing team as UX designer. Kelly Van Sant joins Red Sofa Literary as of May 1. She was previously an agent at D4EO. Alessandra Bastagli has left her position as editorial director of Nation Books. At Holiday House, Raina Putter has joined as a managing editor. She previously worked at the Ingram Content Group as a client relations manager, and held positions at Random House Children’s, Hyperion Children’s, and Harlequin Books. Judy Varon will join as production manager starting May 1. […]
Archives for April 2018
Briefs: Arrest Boosts McNamara Book, Academy Considers Skipping 2018 Nobel for Literature, and More
The surprise arrest of a suspect in the Golden State Killer case on Wednesday caused a surge of interest in the late Michelle McNamara‘s I’ll Be Gone In The Dark, published February 22. Harper reports that they have reprinted 75,000 copies in response, bringing them up to 175,000 copies in print, with digital versions currently ranked No. 1 at Kindle and iBooks, and No. 2 at Audible. Through April 22, Bookscan had recorded sales of approximately 51,000 hardcovers in the eight weeks on sale. Awards The Edgar Awards were presented across multiple categories Thursday night. Winners included: Bluebird, Bluebird, by Attica Locke […]
People
Jennifer Levesque will join Disney Book Group as editorial director starting May 7. She is charged with “driving the audience expansion strategy in the adult, collector, and lifestyle categories” and looking at opportunities around Disney properties. She was previously vp, editorial director of Rodale Books. Jhanteigh Kupihea will join Quirk Books as editorial director, starting May 21. She was most recently senior editor at Atria Books. Kupihea, who will split her time between New York and Quirk’s Philadelphia offices, says “It’s so rare to find a publisher that treats each book on their list like a beloved passion project while maintaining a […]
Amazon Gains On Strong Earnings
Amazon reported sales for the first quarter on Thursday afternoon, as net income more than doubled, to $1.63 billion, well ahead of analysts’ expectations. The stock is trading near all-time highs on the strong report. Sales of $51 billion were well ahead of the $35.7 billion in the same quarter a year ago. That was bolstered by $4.3 billion from physical stores — primarily the added Whole Foods. The results show fast growth in nearly every segment — their advertising business (+139%), subscription services (+60%), AWS (+49%), and third-party seller services (+44%). The lowest growth was in the basic business […]
People, Etc.
Victoria Wells Arms is joining Hannigan Salky Getzler Agency as of May 1, bringing her clients over from Wells Arms Literary. Ken Brooks, Bill Kasdorf, Thad McIlroy, Bill Rosenblatt and Bill Trippe are coming together in a powerhouse alignment of “independent consultants with complementary expertise,” forming Publishing Technology Partners. They are calling it a “one-stop destination for addressing your publishing technology challenges and opportunities at a strategic level and implementing practical, effective solutions tailored to fit your needs.” Their announcement notes: “We recognized that no one of us could solve all of the technology problems of every publisher. But together we’re convinced that we’ve […]
Controlling Stake In Waterstones Sold to Elliott Advisors
As has been expected since they initiated an exclusive negotiation period at the end of January, hedge fund Elliott Advisors has reached a deal to acquire and finance UK bookselling chain Waterstones, for undisclosed terms. They are financing the transaction — a good portion of which likely includes either the assumption, or repayment, of Waterstones’ debt of between 83 million and 139 million pounds — themselves. Current owner Alexander Mamut’s Lynwood Investments will retain a minority stake, however, and the deal is expected to close in early May. James Daunt will stay on as ceo of the chain. Head of […]