William “Bill” Gladstone, 74, literary agent and founder of Waterside Productions, died on December 27 at his home in Cardiff, CA. He was also the co-founder of the For Dummies series, which sold over 300 million copies, and the author of several books. He launched Waterside in 1982. Gayle Gladstone, publisher at Waterside, said in a statement, “Waterside is an extraordinary team of like-minded professionals who have been together for decades and are positioned to continue my husband’s legacy in helping publishers and authors make a better world.”
Archives for January 2024
Mystery Writers of America Announces Special Awards
Mystery Writers of America announced its special awards, with Katherine Hall Page and R.L. Stine as the 2024 Grand Masters and Michaela Hamilton of Kensington Publishing receiving the Ellery Queen Award.
Pen America and PRH’s Suit Against FL Schools Will Continue
Pen America and Penguin Random House’s lawsuit against the Escambia County, FL school board will move forward, U.S. District Judge Kent Wetherell ruled on Wednesday. The plaintiffs, which include a group of authors and parents, argue that the school system’s removal of more than 1,600 titles–including dictionaries and encyclopedias–is a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments. “Today, we urged the court to vindicate the Constitutional rights of students, parents, authors and publishers,” Pen America, Florida director Katie Blankenship said in a statement. “We are heartened that Judge Wetherell agreed and that our case can proceed. These books need to […]
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Obituaries: Marc Jaffe, Michelle Somers
Former Bantam Books editorial director Marc Jaffe, 102, died on December 31. Early in his career, Jaffe was western & mystery editor at New American Library, publishing Gore Vidal and Mickey Spillane. Jaffe became editorial director at Bantam in 1961 and stayed for 19 years as the imprint became a force in paperback publishing, including William Peter Blatty’s THE EXORCIST. He later became vp at Random House and editorial director at Ballantine, and founded Villard Books, then founded an eponymous imprint at Houghton Mifflin. Later, Jaffe started Editorial Direction with his wife, Vivienne, and worked as a freelance editor and consultant until his […]
Malaviya Highlights Company “Action Items”
In a note welcoming employees back from the holidays, Penguin Random House ceo Nihar Malaviya shared three “company-wide action areas” that management has decided to focus on based on the 2023 employee survey. One focus will be on company strategy, in order to “create greater clarity about the global strategy by increasing the frequency of both local and global strategy communications.” Another item is “psychological safety—emphasis on feedback culture.” He writes that they will “continue to work on creating an inclusive and psychologically safe environment for employees at every level, one that fosters the free exchange of feedback, ideas, and […]