Allison Devlin has been appointed sales director in client sales at Penguin Random House Publisher Services.
Former literary manager at The Gotham Group Eddie Gamarra has been hired as vp studio business development for Nickelodeon.
Legal
A jury cleared Nicholas Sparks of all counts of defamation and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, concluding a long-running suit filed by Saul Benjamin, former headmaster of the North Carolina school founded by Sparks and his wife. In the suit, Benjamin accused Sparks of defaming him by claiming to others that he was mentally and/or physically ill, and terminating him because of a perceived disability. Sparks said, “I am grateful for the jury’s verdict in favor of myself, the Epiphany School and the Nicholas Sparks Foundation.”
Corporate News
Chinese publishing giant Phoenix Publishing and Media Group announced a co-production deal with modest UK independent publisher Flame Tree (with annual sales of about $7.5 million). Publishing under the name Phoenix Flame Tree and working through the Jiangsu Phoenix Literary and Art Publishing division, they will co-publish some of Flame Tree’s titles in China.Earlier this summer, Phoenix signed a separate deal with UK-based publisher of customized children’s books Wonderbly (originally known as Lost My Name).
Chinese publishing giant Phoenix Publishing and Media Group announced a co-production deal with modest UK independent publisher Flame Tree (with annual sales of about $7.5 million). Publishing under the name Phoenix Flame Tree and working through the Jiangsu Phoenix Literary and Art Publishing division, they will co-publish some of Flame Tree’s titles in China.Earlier this summer, Phoenix signed a separate deal with UK-based publisher of customized children’s books Wonderbly (originally known as Lost My Name).
Bookselling
Tattered Cover will open a new location north of Denver in Westminster, CO, their fifth in the Denver area. The 5,000-square-foot space is planned for an April 2020 opening, housed in a new Origin Hotel building.
Tattered Cover will open a new location north of Denver in Westminster, CO, their fifth in the Denver area. The 5,000-square-foot space is planned for an April 2020 opening, housed in a new Origin Hotel building.
Barnes & Noble is bringing back their Book Haul promotion, offering over 1,000 titles at 50 percent off.
Extracurriculars
Literary agent Richard Curtis‘s play Quiet Enjoyment (about a Manhattan co-op closing that goes humorously wrong) is set for a limited off-Broadway run starting October 18 at the Playroom Theatre.