Cara Bedick joins Chronicle Books as executive editor of Mark Tauber’s new imprint. She was most recently a senior editor at Touchstone.
Iris Hsieh has been appointed associate director, China sales & product management, Penguin Random House International sales & marketing. She will oversee the company’s export strategies across all channels within China, reporting to Cyrus Kheradi.
Samantha Simon has joined Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as associate marketing manager for Lifestyle. She was previously digital content manager at Coaction Public Relations.
Andrea Concaildi has joined Sourcebooks as marketing associate, ecommerce.
At Princeton University Press, Caroline Priday becomes global promotions director and Julia Hall is promoted to head of marketing, Europe, both based out of the European office in Oxford. In North America, Julia Haav is promoted to associate global promotions director; Sara Henning-Stout to promotions manager, sciences; Nathalie Levine and Alyssa Sanford to promotions associates; Barbara Tonetti to academic special sales and marketing associate; Jennifer Zuccaro to special sales and marketing associate; and Lisa Black is promoted to permissions manager. Leslie Nangle becomes associate director, marketing operations; Debra Liese becomes curator of ideas and partnerships; Matthew Taylor becomes promotions associate, sciences; and Stephanie Rojas transitions into the new role of Digital Promotions Specialist with promotional oversight of, among other areas, the recently launched audio roster.
Acquisitions
Publishers Weekly has acquired literary website The Millions. Founder C. Max Magee will step away from the site, with associate editor Adam Boretz, who has also been an editor at PW, becoming editor. Outgoing editor Lydia Kiesling will remain involved as a staff writer and “in various capacities.” PW will host The Millions’ archive, with pieces remaining up at the site for the foreseeable future.
Obituaries
Writer and editor Marisa Bulzone died on December 19 in Manhattan. The author and co-author of several books, she also held executive editorial positions at Hearst Books and Stewart, Tabori & Chang.
Judy Turner, 82, who wrote historical and romantic fiction under the pseudonyms Katie Flynn and Judith Saxton, has died. Turner was the author of more than 90 books. Susan Sandon, managing director of Cornerstone, said, “All at Century and Arrow feel immensely proud to have been Judy’s publisher over so many years. Her storytelling has provided pleasure for literally generations of readers; I feel privileged to have worked so closely with her.”
South African publisher Stephen Johnson, formerly of Exclusive Books, has died. He worked in publishing for over 40 years, including at Random Century, the forerunner of Random House South Africa, and was founding managing director of Random House Struik and then ceo of Penguin South Africa.
Bookselling
Garrison Keillor is selling Common Goods Books, the St. Paul bookstore he founded in 2006. Store manager David Enyeart, who is handing the sale, said sales have declined since Keillor was fired from Minnesota Public Radio last November for what MPR ceo Jon McTaggart characterized as “dozens of sexually inappropriate incidents.” Keillor is reportedly also selling his house and has moved to Minneapolis. He told the Pioneer Press, “I’m leaving town and am busy writing a book of my own so it’s time to turn over the business to someone else.” (A year ago, Keillor had reportedly recently finished work on a memoir about growing up in Minnesota. Ever since he was terminated by MPR, his longtime publisher Viking has declined to indicate whether they would continue to publish his new works.)
Enyeart said, “We’ve had inquiries and I’m talking to a couple people. We’ve spread a wide net through the grapevine and now we decided it’s time for a discussion in the local community.”
Picks
Reese Witherspoon‘s book club pick for January is The Library Book by Susan Orlean.
Apple Books posted its Best of January list:
An Orchestra of Minorities, by Chigozie Obioma
Three Little Words, by Jenny Holiday
We Are Displaced, by Malala Yousafzai
Maid, by Stephanie Land
99 Percent Mine, by Sally Thorne
An Anonymous Girl, by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
The Dreamers, by Karen Thompson Walker
The Plotters, by Un-su Kim
Inheritance, by Dani Shapiro
Watching You, by Lisa Jewell
The Water Cure, by Sophie Mackintosh
Hark, by Sam Lipsyte
Slayer, by Kiersten White
The Light Over London, by Julia Kelly
When Ashes Fall, by Marni Mann