Sanjay Doraiswamy has joined Simon & Schuster in the newly created position of data scientist, reporting to Doug Stambaugh. Previously he worked as data scientist for the IT services firm Agilex Technologies, consulting for the Department of Homeland Security. Doraiswamy will initially focus on analyzing pricing strategies, after which he will move to broader projects. Senior director of publicity at Ecco Michael McKenzie is leaving the company Thursday after 15 years to “pursue other opportunities.” He added in an email, “I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be doing next – possibly freelancing, possibly going to another house – as I […]
The Complete Spring/Summer Adult Buzz Books
Winter Institute comes to a close Wednesday and those 500 booksellers will head home with lots of galleys, while we are supplying thousands of people — both trade professionals but also readers all over — with pre-publication excerpts from 40 top new titles in our recently published free ebook Buzz Books 2015: Spring/Summer. You can get an EPUB of the trade edition directly from our site, or if you prefer, it’s “read now” download at NetGalley (where it already has 75 five- and four-star reviews) and on Edelweiss. The consumer edition is available on Amazon Kindle, Apple’s iBookstore, Barnes and Noble Nook, Kobo, and Google Play. Here […]
Cynthia Bond’s RUBY is Latest Oprah Pick; Krakauer’s MISSOULA to Publish April 21
Oprah’s revived Book Club, which now only picks books about once a year, has selected Cynthia Bond’s debut novel RUBY as its latest choice. (Its previous selection, in early 2014, was THE INVENTION OF WINGS by Sue Monk Kidd.) The novel was published in hardcover last April by Hogarth to a modest reception. Those who reviewed it praised the book but it was overlooked by all of the major outlets, with hardcover sales as recorded by Nielsen Bookscan under 3,000. The publisher has announced a first paperback printing of 250,000 copies (with the Oprah book club logo) and a special digital […]
Still More On Harper Lee’s GO SET A WATCHMAN
Over the weekend pieces from the NYT, WSJ, and the AP filled in some blanks about the discovery of Harper Lee’s GO SET A WATCHMAN and how cognizant Lee is about the novel’s forthcoming publication on July 14. Though the Harper Collins press release from last week said the manuscript was discovered last fall, Lee’s lawyer Tonja Carter tells the NYT via emails and texts that she found the work “in late summer.” When Carter visited Lee and asked her about the manuscript and if it was finished: “She said: ‘Complete? I guess so. It was the parent of MOCKINGBIRD.” Separately, the WSJ reports that foreign rights […]
People, Etc.
Abrams announced a number of recent promotions as well as a new hire. At Abrams Children’s and Amulet, Traci Todd joined recently as executive editor (she was senior editor, children’s publishing at VIZ Media). Jennifer Graham has been promoted to senior managing editor, while Erica Finkel moves up to associate editor. On the adult trade side, Eric Klopfer has been promoted to senior editor; Erin Hotchkiss has been promoted to marketing director; Paul Colarusso moves up to senior marketing manager; and Jordan Sapiro has been promoted to associate publicist. Finally, Matthew Dinda has been promoted to trade sales representative, while Erica LaSala moves up to […]
Donnelley’s Higher Bid For Courier Wins Out
As expected, RR Donnelley has bested Quad/Graphics in acquiring Courier Corp. after making a higher bid. The two companies announced they have entered into a material agreement for Donnelley to buy Courier at $23 a share — or about $15 million more than Quad/Graphics offered last month. The new agreement, which is set to close in the middle of the year, “represents a mix of approximately 49 percent cash and 51 percent stock, and a total transaction value of approximately $261 million, plus the assumption of Courier’s net debt and payout of outstanding equity awards,” according to the joint announcement. Donnelley president and […]