Longtime evp and general counsel of the Association of American Publishers Allan Adler will leave the organization on October 15. CEO Maria Pallante said: “With the Board of Directors, I want to thank Allan for his tireless public policy work on behalf of the publishing industry over the course of some 24 years. As a lawyer, leader, and advocate for AAP, Allan applied great skill and expertise to countless complex issues and proceedings—both domestic and international—and helped to define, defend, and advance the rights of copyright and freedom of expression that are essential to the creative industries and marketplace of […]
Archives for September 2020
People, Etc.
Kristin Fassler will return to Penguin Random House on October 5, in the new role of svp, director of integrated marketing strategy for the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, reporting to Maya Mavjee. All divisional marketing functions will report to Fassler. She “will build and lead a state-of-the-art marketing department centralized across all imprints that incorporates title marketing, social media marketing, advertising, promotion and creative services, online optimization, audience development, consumer insights and analytics, and campaign ROI.” At Knopf, Chris Gillespie is being promoted to svp, publishing director, effective October 5, reporting to Reagan Arthur, helping with “the logistics of our […]
News Corp CEO Discusses Future Investments in Digital in a “Transitioning” Business
In a September 17 interview at the Goldman Sachs 29th Annual Communacopia Conference, News Corp. ceo Robert Thomson reaffirmed that “the book publishing business is one that we see having long-term value for us, and it too is a changing business.” Thomson spoke to internal partnerships between HarperCollins and the company’s news organizations including The Times and The Sun in the UK, calling them “very fruitful in recent months.” He added, “So those sorts of partnerships and finding all of those and promoting important books, obviously not just in print, but across the digital platforms, that complementarity and that leverage […]
Douglas Stuart Has A Chance for National Book Award and Booker, As Fiction Longlisted Features New Names
In their final longlist, the National Book Awards puts in contention for their fiction award three debuts and only one author — Lydia Millet — ever recognized in the past by the organization. (She was longlisted in 2016 for Sweet Lamb of Heaven.) Following a strong presence on the nonfiction list, Norton has two novels in contention, with other titles from Tin House Books, West Virginia University Press and Grove/Atlantic. Douglas Stuart is the one author in the running for the NBA award as well as the Booker Prize, for Shuggie Bain. One title — from Rumaan Alam — does […]
People: Halpern Becomes Editor-at-Large at Ecco
HarperCollins has unceremoniously realigned Ecco and its leadership. Founder of Ecco in 1971 and president and publisher since it joined HarperCollins in 1999 Daniel Halpern “will be transitioning” to editor-at-large “immediately.” Ecco will “be more closely integrated into the Harper Group” with vp and editorial director Helen Atsma overseeing the imprint and reporting to svp and publisher Jonathan Burnham. Halpern will “continue to edit a number of his longstanding authors.” Burnham writes, “Under Dan’s direction, Ecco has grown into one of the most respected imprints in the industry: a byword for literary distinction and editorial integrity.” At Quarto, Polly Powell […]
As Cohen Tops Bestseller List, Vanity Fair Chronicles Skyhorse’s “House of Horrors”
In a day already full of publishing news, on Thursday Vanity Fair posted a lengthy and provocative article about Skyhorse, publisher of “political unsavories” (Michael Cohen, Roger Stone, Woody Allen, Garrison Keillor’s next, quack scientists, etc.) and described as a company with “a history of workplace toxicity and inappropriate behavior.” President and publisher Tony Lyons says, “We believe in free speech, take a strong stance against cancel culture, and live by the rule that it’s important to err on the side of letting even unpopular voices be heard.” This spring he told VF in an interview, “I was thinking about […]