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People, Etc.

September 29, 2020
By Erin Somers

Katie McGuire has joined Tapas Media as novel acquisitions lead. She was previously editor at Pegasus Books.

Updates
The recently-announced increase in entry-level salaries for employees of Macmillan‘s US trade division does not apply to the separate education company, Macmillan Learning. Asked to comment, a spokesperson told PL, “We were not aware that our trade partners were instituting an off-cycle change. We review salaries annually and plan on taking another look after the close of our fiscal year.”

Initiatives
The Book Industry Study Group has joined with its counterparts in Canada (BookNet Canada) and the UK (Book Industry Communications) to create an International Green Book Supply Chain Alliance. Their efforts will include information sharing, joint planning, environmental events, and other initiatives. BIC executive director Karina Urquhart says in the announcement, “It is in the supply chain that the most significant changes can be made by the global book industry to eliminate waste and reduce its impact on the environment.”

James Patterson is donating $2.5 million to 5,000 teachers around the US, in partnership with Scholastic Book Clubs. This marks the sixth year of the partnership. Patterson said, “Whether students are learning virtually at home or in the classroom, the importance of keeping them reading cannot be underscored enough… Over the past six months, reading has certainly helped me cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and I can only hope it will do the same for kids and teachers everywhere.”

Bookselling
The chairman of Vroman’s Books in Pasadena, CA Joel Sheldon asked for community support to save the business: “If Vroman’s is to survive, sales must increase significantly from now through the holidays.” He notes, “Our foot traffic and sales are improving, but still down almost 40 percent, which will not keep us in business.”

He said in a letter to customers, “It is critical now that our sales volumes return to much higher levels for us to stay open. Up until now, I have resisted asking for community support — it’s a very humbling experience. But it is now time.”

Funding
While long-established bookstores are struggling to survive, start-up BookClub has raised $6 million in seed funding for their platform to help authors run their own online book clubs.

Awards
The Booker Prize has moved their announcement date for the winner — which is later than usual this pandemic season — from November 17 to November 19. They say the change is to avoid conflict with the publication day of Barack Obama’s A PROMISED LAND. But it also gives a little space to the National Book Awards, which had already been scheduled for November 18 — their traditional time — before the Booker encroached on them. Literary director of the Booker Prize Foundation Gaby Wood said in the release, “We thought it unfortunate that two of the most exciting literary events of the year – the announcement of the winner of the 2020 Booker Prize and the publication of Barack Obama’s memoirs – were due to fall on the same day, so we’ve decided to give readers a couple of days’ breathing space.”

Filed Under: Free, Personnel

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