Michael Signorelli has joined Aevitas Creative Management as agent. Previously he was managing director at Gotham Ghostwriters and an editor at Holt and HarpeCollins.
Awards
PEN America announced their 2020 literary award longlists.
Best of
The WSJ picked their top 10 books of the year, as did People magazine. USA Today has moved on to 20 “must read” forthcoming winter picks.
Bookselling
Employees of McNally Jackson voted yesterday to join the NYC Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which will represent approximately 90 employees who handle sales, events, stocking and information services.
In the union’s announcement, Kathryn Harper, who works at the Williamsburg store, says: “Workers across all five stores face issues of harassment at work, favoritism, and lack of dignity and respect. By coming together, we are stronger, and I am confident we can shape our workplace into a place we all want to come to work each day. It’s about time McNally Jackson workers had a real seat at the table with the company and we’re ready to get to work on our first contract.”
San Francisco children’s bookstore Charlie’s Corner, which was in danger of closing, will stay open thanks to a Go Fund Me campaign that raised almost $35,000. The money will help repay the costs of a temporary move while the building “underwent a mandatory seismic upgrade.”
Layoffs
Academic publisher SAGE confirms to the Bookseller that they have recently eliminated approximately 50 positions, about half of those in the UK. The company said in a statement, “These reductions have been made in response to the rapidly changing publishing landscape, as we look to ensure that SAGE is able to prosper for the long term and continue to serve our customers, editors, authors and societies…. We do not take decisions like this lightly and regret that these job reductions are a necessary part of ensuring a sustainable future for our business.”
Distribution
IPG, in partnership with Editorial Océano de Mexico, will distribute children’s imprint Océana Travesía imprint starting January 1.