Today’s Penguin Random House announcement presents a unified cross-company executive team in the US finance group (and associated services), under cfo Coram Williams. Random House’s Milena Alberti takes the new position of svp, head of global corporate finance for Penguin Random House. A number of others now formally have responsibilities across Penguin Random House, including:
SVP, corporate director, business affairs, John Schline (responsible for contracts and permissions)
SVP, worldwide reporting and planning, James Johnston
Group controller, Tom Stefanik
SVP, royalty operation, Pauline James
SVP, credit, payroll & disbursements, William Sinnott
SVP, corporate services, Mariella Molloy
Meanwhile, executive director, publishing contracts at Random House David Sanford retains primary responsibility for the Random House contracts. Williams said in a staff memo: “Milena and her excellent team will continue to be responsible for taking the lead on mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate investment activity, involving, where appropriate, our international colleagues, and our shareholders.”
Separately, Lane Rider will retire from Random House on March 31 after more than three decades at the company, most recently as divisional field sales director, adult mass merchandise, which he has held for the last 14 years. In the announcement vp, mass and distributor sales Tom Cox said: “Our authors’ careers and our publishers’ lists have benefited from the vigor and focus of Lane’s deep, unceasing drive to sell more of our books to our customers. Working together with Lane during these past six years has been a terrific experience for me personally, and I will miss his invaluable, sensible counsel and guiding hand with his colleagues.”
China has been lined up informally as BEA’s 2015 Global Market Forum focus country for a long time now, and the agreement will be finalized at a signing ceremony on February 12. More than 500 Chinese publishing professionals — including roughly 50 authors — are expected to attend the convention next year as a result.
CBS News featured 13-year-old author Jake Marcionette and his just-released debut JUST JAKE — along with his successful cold-calling of agent Dan Lazar at Writers House.
Amazon announced a “100 Books to Read in a Lifetime” list, which encompasses a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction, including children’s, teen, and young adult, ranging from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen to LIFE AFTER LIFE by Kate Atkinson.