Debbie Engel, vp of subsidiary rights at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, will retire as of August 16. Candace Finn has been promoted to director of subsidiary rights. Rosanna Forte will move from Viking UK to Sphere as an editor on August 27, and Callum Kenny will join Sphere from Bloomsbury UK on September 10, with both working on fiction and reporting to fiction publisher Lucy Malagoni, Author N.K. Jemisin will serve as this year’s spokesperson for the ABA’s Indies First campaign (which takes place on American Express Small Business Saturday). Distribution Lonely Planet will move sales, customer service and distribution in the […]
Archives for August 2019
People, Etc.
At Beacon Press, editorial director Gayatri Patnaik will take on the additional role of associate director starting September 1. Amy Caldwell moves up to associate editorial director. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has hired Mike Evans for the new position of chief revenue officer, starting September 16. Most recently chief financial officer at McGraw Hill Education, Evans will “provide holistic leadership across the essential functions of sales, marketing, customer success, technical support and enterprise project management.” Additionally, chief engineering officer Peter George becomes chief technology officer, and chief marketing officer Amy Dunkin was made evp and general manager of Professional Services. Lindsey […]
Sales Fall at Indigo On Cutback In Promotions
Canada’s Indigo reported fiscal first quarter sales Tuesday afternoon with sales falling $12.8 million (or 6.2 percent) to $192.6 million (CA). Superstore comp sales decreased 6.5 percent, small format stores fell 2.4 percent, and online sales were $5 million lower (or down 14.8 percent), at $28.8 million. But the company says the reductions were planned as part of a move to bolster earnings: “The decline in sales was a result of a strategic shift to reduce promotional activity to improve profitability, and eliminate unprofitable sales. Additionally, the general merchandise business continued to be affected by softer discretionary spending in product […]
This Time It’s Real: CBS and Viacom to Merge, Simon & Schuster Changes Reporting Line
CBS and Viacom formally announced an agreement to merge on Tuesday, putting back together the two divisions that had split at the beginning 2006. Viacom ceo Robert Bakish will lead the combined company, with CBS acting ceo Joe Ianniello remaining in charge of the CBS unit. CBS shareholders will wind up owning about 61 percent of the new company, with Viacom’s shares valued at about $11 billion. When the two were split in 2006, Viacom was supposed to be the fast-growing unit and CBS was supposed to control the “mature” assets, including Simon & Schuster. The release announcing the deal […]
Children’s Books Win A Tariff Delay — For Now
In the Trump administration’s ever-changing policy on tariffs for goods imported from China, the United States Trade Representative announced on Tuesday a delay in imposing an additional 10 percent tariff on certain goods — including many electronics — until December 15. They also spared certain products entirely, “based on health, safety, national security and other factors.” “Children’s picture, drawing or coloring books” are on the list of goods that will not face additional tariffs until December 15 now, as are certain calendars (“printed on paper or paperboard in whole or in part by a lithographic process, not over 0.51 mm […]
People, Etc.
Wendi Gu has returned to Sanford J. Greenburger Associates as agent; she spent the last two years at Janklow & Nesbit as associate agent. Sarah Phair has joined SJGA as agent after 6 years at Trident Media Group, and Edward Maxwell has been promoted to agent. Jenny Stephens has been promoted to agent at Sterling Lord Literistic. Olivia Russo will join Penguin Children’s as senior director, publicity on September 3. She was formerly publicity director, Harper Children’s. Rebecca Brewer is no longer at Ace/Berkley, and can be reached at rebeccacbr@gmail.com and Brewereditorialservices.com. Phoebe Morgan will rejoin Harper UK as editorial […]