Local history book publisher Arcadia Publishing has acquired Commonwealth Editions from Applewood Books; the terms of the deal were undisclosed. Applewood will continue to handle sales and distribution for Commonwealth titles “for the foreseeable future.”
Harper Collins Plans Hybrid Work Model for October
Harper Collins announced that, beginning October 4, employees in New York, Princeton, and Montage, PA will be expected to return to the office 2-3 days a week. Each person’s schedule will depend on their role and office location; the Boston and San Francisco offices will remain closed for now. This will be a pilot program intended to run for four months to figure out “what works and what doesn’t” for employees and the company. After that, the company plans to “transition into a more formal, required work model which will incorporate what we’ve learned.” The company says that there will […]
Groff’s Matrix Tops September Indie Next List
The ABA named Lauren Groff's Matrix as the No. 1 pick for September’s Indie Next List.
People 8/4
At Scribner, vp, associate publisher Roz Lippel will retire in November. Stu Smith will become associate publisher on August 30; he is currently national account manager and director, Top Shelf.
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden On Access to Tech
During the opening keynote of OverDrive’s Digipalooza librarian and educator conference, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden emphasized the importance of having access to technology in all libraries and all communities, rural and urban, as the pandemic brought digital inequities into stark relief. Digital access, she said, is “an equalizer in culture.” “Part of my role now is to talk about how important it is to have those institutions and places for people to go, and the Library of Congress is going to be a partner in digitizing as much as we can,” she said. Hayden said that the pandemic “accelerated […]
Obituary: Michael Rockliff
Former Random House and Workman sales exec Michael Rockliff, 76, died on July 29. He began his career at Random House in 1968 and remained there for 38 years. He then worked as director of library sales and marketing at Workman before retiring in 2015. PRH notes, “At sales conferences, Rockliff could be counted on to discuss, with equal passion to the pitches for imminent bestsellers, a book on displaced European Jews or a biography of an obscure but pathfinding musician. Over time, his colleagues began referring to these volumes—many of which went on to win prizes—as ‘Mike Books.’ One […]