Heather Connor has joined Harlequin in the newly created role of vp, publicity, overseeing Park Row Books, Hanover Square Press, Graydon House, MIRA, HQN, and Inkyard Press. She was previously director of publicity at Berkley.
Amanda Lang has been promoted to to senior publicity manager at Simon & Schuster.
Co-founder of New World Library and author of Creative Visualization Shakti Gawain, 70, died November 11 from complications related to hip surgery. (She suffered from both Parkinson’s and Lewy body disease.) New World Library publisher and co-founder (the company was first called Whatever Publishing) Marc Allen says, “She was such an extraordinary woman who lived her life courageously, following her dreams and her heart’s desires. There was no one like her, before or since, and we’ll miss her energy and compassion and love.”
Two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter, and author of Adventures in the Screen Trade and novels including Marathon Man and The Princess Bride, William Goldman, 87, died on Thursday.
Awards
In Canada, Maya Jasanoff won the $75,000 Cundill History Prize for The Dawn Watch: Joseph Conrad in a Global World.
Bookselling
A “strong majority” of the approximately 80 employees of Book People in Austin, TX voted to unionize on November 13, to be represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 277. Employee Salvador Samudio says, “This means for the first time, we will be able to negotiate for better pay, better wages and better benefits through representatives from the bookstore.” Contract negotiations are expected to begin shortly.
Book People ceo Elizabeth Jordan told the local business journal in a written statement: “This is a challenging time for bricks-and-mortar retail in general and bookselling in particular but we are fully committed to ensuring that Austin can continue to enjoy all of the benefits a bookstore of this caliber has to offer the city. I look forward to working with the booksellers just as much today as I did before the vote to unionize to continue BookPeople’s tradition of excellence and leadership in the Austin community.”