Lexy Bloom has been named senior editor at Knopf, after many years as senior editor for Vintage/Anchor.
Stephanie Hitchcock is joining Atria as senior editor. She was most recently editor at Harper and Harper Business.
Alexandra Hightower has joined Little, Brown Children’s as associate editor. Previously, she was assistant editor at Delacorte.
Chelcee Johns has been promoted to assistant editor at 37 Ink.
At Adams Media, Julia Jacques has been promoted to editor; Mary Kate Schulte to publicist; Erin Alexander to senior designer; and Jo-Anne Duhamel to production editor.
Skip Dye has been promoted to senior vice president, library sales and digital strategy, Penguin Random House. He retains his responsibilities as senior vice president, director, sales operations.
At Harper Children’s, Jacquelynn Burke has been promoted to associate director, publicity; Lindsey Karl to senior manager, conferences and conventions; and Talia Chaves and Tyler Breitfeller each to marketing associate. Mimi Rankin joins as manager, school & library marketing. She was previously with Myrick Marketing & Media/Publishers Spotlight.
Cortney Radocaj has joined Belcastro Agency as associate agent. She was previously a literary agent apprentice with Corvisiero Literary.
Jennifer Custer will join Eccles Fisher Associates in December to oversee UK scouting there. She was previously rights director at AM Heath.
Awards
The Dayton Literary Peace Prize announced its 2019 winners: Eli Saslow’s Rising Out of Hatred (nonfiction) and Golnaz Hashemzadeh Bonde’s What We Owe (fiction).
Forthcoming
Clarkson Potter will publish Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice, a companion journal by Michelle Obama on November 19 (while her husband continues working on his manuscript). With a reported first printing of 500,000 copies, the journal features inspiring questions and quotes that resonate with key themes in Mrs. Obama’s memoir and that are designed to help readers reflect, and includes an introduction by the author. It will be published in over 20 countries this fall.
No Tariffs
Upon closer examination the UK’s Publishers Association concluded the category of printed books that the US is levying a new tariff on does not encompass bound books, and therefore will not affect their members. The AAP told the Bookseller they concur that “finished books do not seem to be currently affected.”
Legal
Barnes & Noble will not have to provide former ceo Demos Parneros with notes related to the internal investigation of his alleged sexual harassment of an employee, Magistrate Judge Gabriel Gorenstein of NY’s Southern District ruled October 4.
The ruling doesn’t leave Parneros completely empty-handed: The judge also ordered that notes related to the “sabotaged” June 18 meeting with an acquirer are not privileged, and therefore must be provided as Parneros requested. As well, BN must turn over all internal communication and drafts related to the press release that announced Parneros’ firing, which the former ceo says was how he himself received the news. Both parties have been ordered to complete discovery by October 18, with the expectation of a five to seven day trial in early March.