Zachary Knoll has been promoted to associate editor at Simon & Schuster.
Jeff Li joins Serial Box as chief operating officer. Most recently he led the ventures team at NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Networks.
Awards
The New Academy prize, formed to fill the gap left by the Swedish Academy’s decision to not award a Nobel for literature this year, was awarded to Guadeloupean novelist Maryse Condé, who writes in French. A number of US publishers have her works in print. SEGU, published by Penguin, is her best known novel, and VICTOIRE: My Mother’s Mother, published by Simon & Schuster, is her most recent work. She was one of 10 finalists for the Booker International Prize in 2015.
Corporate
As multiple large corporations are reevaluating their business relationships with Saudi Arabia following the disappearance — and suspected murder — of journalist Jamal Khashoggi after visiting the kingdom’s consultate in Turkey, William Morris Endeavor parent company Endeavor is also in the spotlight. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund was reported to have bought a $400 million stake in Endeavor in March, and now a company “insider” tells The Wrap, “WME is aware of the situation and we are assessing.” It’s not clear how you assess what to do with an owner.