Rio Cortez will join Harper Collins in the new role of sales and retail marketing manager, starting September 28, reporting to Christine Edwards, with a dotted line to Andrea Pappenheimer. Her focus will be to “continue to grow the overall sales of books by BIPOC authors across all channels, developing and executing a business plan to achieve growth for our BIPOC authors and titles across the marketplace.” Most recently, Cortez was the buyer and creative coordinator at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Joining Peter McGuigan at his recently-launched Ultra Literary are Kirsten Neuhaus […]
Archives for September 2020
Scholastic Sales Down 7 Percent First Quarter As Club and Fair Layoffs Improve Operating Loss
Scholastic reported earnings results yesterday afternoon for the first quarter of fiscal 2021, ending August 31. Sales were $215 million, down 7 percent compared to $233 million last year, due largely to the delayed reopening of schools. Trade revenue was down $2.2 million, to $71.9 million compared to $74.1 million last year, as the new Dave Pilkey Dog Man book released on September 1, the first day of the second quarter. (“It’s doing extremely well and is outpacing the Dog Man from the year before,” ceo Dick Robinson said on the conference call for analysts.) Book clubs and fairs remained […]
Macmillan Will Raise Starting Salaries to $42K
Macmillan announced Thursday that the entry salary level in the US will be raised to $42,000, effective December 27. As part of the initiative, new ceo Don Weisberg said, current employees below that level will get a raise as well. “In addition to the benefit this provides to existing employees,” Weisberg said, “we expect this change will help us expand our applicant pool by attracting candidates who have, up to now, found our starting salary too low. This increase is part of Macmillan’s broader D&I objectives and our commitment to pay equity.” The company told us, “Salaries will also be […]
People, Etc.
Abigail Walters, Carlos Segarra, Emily Westcott, and Alex Rice have each been promoted to agent at CAA. All four are based in New York. At Aitken Alexander Associates, Emma Paterson joins the board of directors. Chris Wellbelove becomes head of the book department. At Westwood Creative Artists, Emmy Nordstrom Higdon has joined as literary agent. They were previously at The Rights Factory. Meg Wheeler has been promoted to literary agent, Bridgette Kam to international rights associate, and Sarah-Jayne Carver to literary associate. Paloma Hernando joins Einstein Literary Management as associate agent. She was previously an intern at Writers House and a bookseller at Books […]
White House Aides Intervened in Review of Bolton’s Book, Official Says
Ellen Knight, the former NSC official who oversaw the prepublication review of former national security advisor John Bolton’s book, filed an extensive and extraordinary letter with the court in the DOJ’s case against Bolton. Through her attorney Kenneth L. Wainstein, Knight describes a “designedly apolitical process [that] had been commandeered by political appointees for a seemingly political purpose.” She says that White House officials, starting with the National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien and acting through NSC attorney Michael Ellis, a “political appointee with no previous classification authority experience,” falsely and erroneously found that Bolton’s book contained classified information. Knight says […]
Hollywood Trade Publications Merge In New Joint Venture
The parent company of Variety, Deadline and other trade magazines will take over management of competitor The Hollywood Reporter (as well as Billboard and other publications) as part of two joint ventures announced Wednesday. Penske Media (PMC) will run daily operations of the magazine conglomerate, while their one-time rival MRC will run a separate joint venture to exploit the brands and intellectual property across the two portfolios, “including television, film, live and alternative and nonfiction.” (Update: What was touted as a joint venture turned out to be an acquisition: Penske is reported to be paying $225 million to buy an […]