Pieter Swinkels has been promoted to chief content officer at Rakuten Kobo. Additionally, Alan MacNevin has been promoted to chief operating officer; Marianne Hamilton to chief marketing officer; and Dave Anderson to chief strategy officer.
At Macmillan Children’s, Carol Ly has been promoted to senior designer and Sophie Erb to associate designer. Emily Settle has been promoted to associate editor at Feiwel and Friends and Swoon Reads.
Picks
The Wife by Meg Wolitzer is the February pick for the PBS NewsHour-New York Times book club.
The Costco Pennie’s Pick for February is The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald.
Awards
Biography The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es won the overall Costa Book Award, with the judges declaring it, “the hidden gem of the year.”
More broadly, we have fully updated our list of award winners from 2018 — covering over 40 awards from the US and around the world.
Bookselling
A Barnes & Noble in North Carolina’s Jacksonville Mall has reopened after repairing “extensive damage” caused by Hurricane Florence. The renovation also includes some “enhancements,” like an expanded toys and games department.