The New York Times reported new allegations against Philip Roth biographer Blake Bailey on Wednesday evening, including claims from a second rape accuser. Publishing executive Valentina Rice claims Bailey raped her in 2015 at the New Jersey house of NYT book critic Dwight Garner, where the two were staying overnight. About three years later, “prompted by the growing #MeToo movement and encouraged by friends,” Rice reported the incident to Norton president Julia Reidhead, writing from a pseudonymous email address. She wrote, “I understand that you would need to confirm this allegation which I am prepared to do, if you can […]
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Jamie Lockard will take over as vice president and publisher at Harper Leadership on May 17, succeeding Jeff James, who is leaving “to explore startup business opportunities and finish his Ph.D. in organizational leadership.” Lockard has been vice president of marketing at Nelson Books. Maya Millett will join Dial Press as senior editor, reporting to Whitney Frick, vp editorial director. She previously founded MDash Productions, an independent book editing, collaborative writing, and audio storytelling consultancy. Michael Hoak has joined Random House as senior marketing manager, reporting to Barbara Fillon, vp director of marketing. He previously lead the online marketing department […]
Norton Pauses Shipping, Promotion For Bailey’s Book
Norton has temporarily halted shipping and promotion of Blake Bailey’s authorized biography of Philip Roth, following allegations of sexual misconduct that broke Tuesday evening in the Los Angeles Times and the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The company said in a statement to the AP, “These allegations are serious. In light of them, we have decided to pause the shipping and promotion of Philip Roth: The Biography pending any further information that may emerge.” Bailey has also been dropped by his agency, The Story Factory. Accusers say Bailey “groomed” them when they were his eighth grade English students at Lusher Middle School […]
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Kimberly Ayers Shariff has joined Penguin Random House in the newly created role of evp, director of strategy for diversity, equity & inclusion, starting on May 10 and reporting to ceo Madeline McIntosh. Shariff will also be joining the US Board. She was previously chief administrative officer at the American Ballet Theatre. At Little, Brown Children’s, Lisa Yoskowitz has been promoted to executive editorial director; Hallie Tibbetts to associate editor; and Sasha Illingworth to associate creative director. Megan Abbate has joined Bloomsbury Children’s as nonfiction editor. She was previously assistant editor at Roaring Brook Press. Hannah Robinson has joined GCP […]
S&S CEO Karp Responds to Staff Letter, Affirms Pence Deal: “We Come to Work Each Day to Publish, Not Cancel”
In an email to the company on Tuesday, Simon & Schuster president and ceo Jonathan Karp responded to a recent “statement from the workforce” of the publisher demanding cancellation of the company’s two-book deal with former vice president Mike Pence and termination of their distribution deal with Post Hill Press. Despite the petition, the publisher will proceed as planned with Pence’s contract. Karp writes, “We come to work each day to publish, not cancel, which is the most extreme decision a publisher can make, and one that runs counter to the very core of our mission to publish a diversity […]
Authors Accuse Diversion Books of Delayed Royalties and Statements
A group of authors has accused Diversion Books of late royalty payments. Victoria Strauss reports on Writer Beware that several authors notified her that they have “banded together to notify various author groups that we have not received royalty statements and/or payments from Diversion for years.” They claim a number of royalty irregularities including missing royalty statements, statements with errors, and more. One writer said she “spent over $10,000 in legal fees to get her rights returned” while another was “offered her rights back only if she would sign an agreement not to seek past royalty payments from them.” In […]