Julia Cheiffetz has been named editorial director of Amazon’s New York-based publishing imprint under Larry Kirshbaum. He writes: “Julia’s sharp editorial sensibility and devotion to her authors, combined with her passion for new technology, makes her the perfect choice. She offers a unique blend of an entrepreneurial mind-set built upon a strong belief in the bedrock values of traditional literary and commercial publishing.” Cheiffetz, who starts on August 1, was at Harper most recently (which she originally joined as part of the experimental imprint Harper Studio).
Andrea Walker will join The Penguin Press as a senior editor on August 1. She has been at Reagan Arthur Books since 2009, prior to which she worked for five years in The New Yorker’s books department.
At Chronicle Books, Allison Elsby has been hired as director distribution client services. She was formerly director of merchandising at Borders. In promotions at the company: Molly Jones moves up to associate managing editor; Bridget Watson is associate editor, Art & Design; and Sara Schneider becomes executive publishing design director.
Peter Perez is now associate marketing director, Food & Drink, Art & Design, Stationery; Albee Dalbotten is associate marketing director, Entertainment & Online; and Alyson Pullman is now publicist, Stationery.
Johan Almqvist moves up to senior sales manager, subsidiary rights; Suzanne Bass is director of sales, special & mass markets; and Todd Presley has been made director of HR.
Founder of HarperCollins imprint Rayo and then agent for some of Rayo’s well-known authors Rene Alegria launches a website this week, Mamiverse, focused on Latina women. “The young, acculturated, affluent, online Latina is speaking English, and is imbibing media in English,” Alegria tells the Daily Beast. “Alegria wants Mom benevolent and wise; skeptical and demanding—to lead the political conversation.” He says left Rayo when the mandate changed in 2009, from publishing authors such as Ray Suarez and Jorge Ramos in English, to issuing mostly Spanish-language books: “‘It ended up being the Telemundo of book publishing’ Alegria moans.”
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