Founder of Scholastic’s Cartwheel imprint and author Bernette G. Ford, 70, died June 20 of lung cancer. As the NYT notes, she “was a leading advocate of making children’s books more diverse and making sure that people of color had opportunities to write and illustrate them.” Ford joined Scholastic in 1989 and “was among the first Black executives at a major children’s book publisher.” In 2002 she formed Color-Bridge Books, which consulted on and packaged books for children. Wade Hudson of Just Us Books called Ford “an unsung hero in the push to bring more people of color into children’s book […]
Warwick Is New Scholastic CEO; Lucchese Becomes Board Chair
Six weeks after the unexpected death of longtime ceo Richard Robinson, independent board member Peter Warwick was named the new president and CEO, approved and announced by the board, effective August 1. Mr. Warwick, 69, has served on the board since 2014. He was EVP and chief people officer at Thompson Reuters until the end of 2017. Warwick says in the announcement, “Dick Robinson built Scholastic into the most admired global children’s book and education business. His devotion to children’s literacy, education, and journalistic integrity was so profound it is ingrained in the culture of the Company. I am deeply […]
Sourcebooks Plans Remote Work Flexibility
Sourcebooks will reopen their offices in Illinois, New York, and Connecticut on September 7, when the company will “welcome back all employees who choose to work out of the office.” Their broader plan will allow every employee to meet with their manager and “define individual plans for their work process.” Depending on their responsibilities, options include working fully remote, a hybrid of remote and in-office, or working in the office full time. The company will also let employees work remotely for up to a month anywhere in the continental US (as long as it’s allowed by the state). On a standing […]
Honoring Mehta and Frank, Writers’ Voices, and Readers
Knopf executive editor Jonathan Segal remembers his colleagues Sonny Mehta and Dan Frank for their “enthusiastic, expansive vision for American literary life” in the Atlantic. And he honors their legacy of focusing on readers to examine the larger moment in publishing: “Readers want the widest possible choice, and the choice is greatest, and the culture richest, when writers have the leeway to initiate a dialogue—an exchange of ideas—in which readers can freely participate.” As he notes, “Condemnation and dismissal lead nowhere, but criticism can be valuable.” More broadly: “Many legitimate and important concerns have surfaced on social media, but Twitter […]
Legal: Judge Denies Foundry Receiver
Following oral arguments, Judge Joel Cohen denied as moot, without prejudice, the motion to appoint a temporary receiver for Foundry Literary.
MWA Scholarship
Mystery Writers of America has created a scholarship program in honor of the late Barbara Neely, the "trailblazing Black crime novelist" who was named a Grand Master in late 2019.