David Boyle will join HarperCollins on February 4 in the newly created role of svp, Consumer Insight, reporting to chief digital officer Chantal Restivo-Alessi. In his new role Boyle, formerly svp, Insight for EMI Music, will work with all divisions of HarperCollins globally to incorporate consumer insight and better understanding of consumer behavior into the company’s main practices – from acquisition to sales. “David’s extensive experience in consumer insights makes him a valuable asset to HarperCollins,” said Restivo-Alessi in a statement. “As digital becomes a greater part of our business, we have to better understand our consumers. Having David join […]
Corporate: Springer Sale Delayed; Oxford University Press Acquires Nelson Thornes
The impending sale of Springer Science & Business Media, announced last fall, has been delayed indefinitely by Swedish private equity group EQT Partners, Bloomberg reports, after potential buyers “balked at the asking price” of between 3 billion and 4 billion euros. (EQT enlisted JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs to solicit potential buyers.) When EQT bought Springer in tandem with the Government of Singapore in 2009, the company was valued at 2.3 billion euros. An auction scheduled for this month has been postponed, as have IPO preparations. Oxford University Press has acquired vocational teaching resource publisher Nelson Thornes from Infinitas Learning […]
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At Random House, Inc., Christopher Dufault has been promoted to vp, director, international marketing and British Commonwealth sales. Fiona Kenshole has joined Transatlantic Literary Agency, where she will represent children’s authors and illustrators. Previously she was vp, development acquisition at animation studio Laika and before then, publishing director for OUP Children’s. Random House mentioned at DBW yesterday that they have soft-launched a Facebook app–BookScout–which will be formally announced and ready for outside traffic new Tuesday. Another effort to help improving discovery of new books through one of the internet’s most popular platforms, the app provides book recommendations and promises to […]
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At Random House Children’s, svp, communications & marketing, director, digital publishing Judith Haut has been named to the new position of svp, associate publisher. SVP, marketing John Adamo will now oversee all marketing for the division, and both continue to report to president and publisher Barbara Marcus. Haut will now work with Marcus and leaders throughout the division to “set the long-term publishing strategy and processes for the division, identifying and developing new opportunities for the company’s frontlist and backlist.” She will be in charge of paperbacks, and continues to oversee digital publishing and communications strategy. The digital marketing and school […]
DBW: “Clock Is Ticking” On Industry Consolidation
The morning sessions at Digital Book World closed with a conversation between Providence Equity Partners senior advisor (and former Macmillan president) Brian Napack and Michael Cader of Publishers Lunch, speaking about how private equity views the publishing business, opportunities for scale, and what recent transactions–the pending Penguin Random House merger, other recent news involving McGraw-Hill and HarperCollins, and Barnes & Noble’s investments–may mean down the line. Napack, answering a question about what will be of value, generally believes that private equity opportunities in traditional media “stem from confusion in marketplace.” With respect to the publishing industry, the recent moves are […]
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Grand Central publisher Jamie Raab has been promoted to president (from executive vice president). CEO David Young wrote to staff: “In Jamie’s two and a half decades with the company, she and her team have created a diverse publishing program that spans just about every genre – commercial fiction and literary novels, celebrity bios and serious politics, business, romance, humor, and lifestyle – putting real muscle behind the campaigns and making GCP a fixture on bestseller lists.” He added, “Jamie is a brave and brilliant publisher, a trusted leader in the company, and an impassioned champion of authors. Here superb […]