Tessa James has been promoted to assistant editor at William Morrow.
SCBWI Director to Retire Following Controversy
Co-founder and longtime executive director of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Lin Oliver said in an email that she will retire at the end of this year (which she then confirmed to PW). The organization has been embroiled in controversy following a post in June by chief equity and inclusion officer April Powers condemning antisemitism. When a Palestinian American member asked for a similar statement condemning Islamophobia, she was blocked from the organization’s social media and her comments were deleted. Powers subsequently apologized for “mishandling the moment” and resigned, and Oliver apologized to “our Muslim and Palestinian […]
People 7/22
Sydney Tillman join Little, Brown Children's as publicity manager on July 26. She was most recently at Scholastic.
Partnerships: Welbeck Expands into Australia with Booktopia
Welbeck Publishing Group has created a standalone subsidiary to publish titles directly into the Australia/New Zealand market, in partnership with online retailer Booktopia, which has a 25 percent stake in the new Sydney-based business in exchange for a $3 million (AU) investment. Booktopia will distribute Welbeck’s 4,500 title backlist in ANZ and will form an ANZ publishing program that aims to publish 50 titles per year in fiction, narrative nonfiction, children’s, and illustrated/gift books. Welbeck’s Mark Smith will relocate to Australia for a few months in early 2022 to help set up the business and recruit staff. Marcus Leaver will […]
Forthcoming: Obama and Springsteen
Penguin Random House announced the global publication on October 26 of RENEGADES: Born in the USA by Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen, a collection of conversations that began on their Spotify podcast of the same name in 2020. PRH stated, “They share exclusive stories and ruminations about life, music, and their enduring love of America, with all its challenges and contradictions.” The full-color book will also include personal photographs, Springsteen’s handwritten lyrics, and Obama’s annotated speeches. English-language editions will be published by Crown in the US and Canada, and by Viking UK in the UK/Commonwealth. The US hardcover is $50. […]
People 7/21
At Gallery, Sydney Morris has been promoted to senior publicist.