On Friday the Treasury Department issued “final regulations and other guidance” to help clarify the application of last year’s tax cut for many owners of sole proprietorships, partnerships, trusts, and S corporations. One closely-watched provision for high-earning authors and other creators, as well as independent publishing professionals such as agents, scouts, publicists and others, is the section that exempts a “specified service trade or business” (SSTB) from taking the new business deduction if the person’s taxable income exceeds $157,500 (or $315,000 for a married couple filing jointly). Among the exempted fields are “the provision of services” in the “performing arts” […]
Agency News
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Theresa Park and Celeste Fine have joined together to form a new literary agency, Park & Fine Literary and Media, combining the existing Park Literary & Media with Fine’s roster of clients and a number of her colleagues from Sterling Lord. They will jointly run the agency as co-founders and partners. Coming over with Fine, who was vice president at Sterling Lord and worked there for seven years, are John Maas (who is executive director, editorial development and strategy), Sarah Passick (as executive director, new business and relationships), and agents Jaidree Braddix and Anna Petkovich. Anna Michels has been promoted to editorial […]
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Former Weidenfeld & Nicolson publisher Kirsty Dunseath will become publishing director for Doubleday UK, starting March 25 and reporting to fiction publisher Sarah Adams. As of January 1, Nation Books will be renamed Bold Type Books, as the Nation Institute itself is changing its name to Type Media Center. Jon Krakauer has moved to Gersh for representation (while continuing to work with attorney Becky Hall). And correcting yesterday’s representation item on Rupi Kaur, she remains with Suzanne Brandreth at CookeMcDermid for literary representation; ICM will represent Kaur for film, television and theater. Forthcoming Robert Caro‘s next book is about himself rather than Lyndon Johnson, […]
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Alive Literary Agency founder and CEO Rick Christian will step down March 1 after 30 years, and the agency has been sold internally to president Bryan Norman and evp Lisa Jackson. “I am grateful I could spend the bulk of my working years doing what I love with people I adore, realize my dreams, and accomplish the tasks with which I was entrusted,” said Christian. “There is no greater joy than to now pass the baton to such qualified successors.” Christian will work with novelist Karen Kingsbury and her son Tyler Russell and consult with the agency for three years […]
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Naomi Gibbs has been promoted to senior editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Richard Rhorer has been promoted to vp and deputy publisher of the Simon & Schuster Publishing Group. At Westwood Creative Artists, Meg Wheeler has been promoted to associate agent, representing writers of literary and commercial fiction as well as non-fiction. She will continue to assist Bruce Westwood and act as rights associate under WCA’s international rights director Carolyn Forde. Forthcoming An early galley for Leslie Jamison‘s collection of essays Make It Scream, Make It Burn — named for this 2013 essay in the Oxford American, and publishing in October 2019 […]
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Stephanie Frerich will join the Simon & Schuster imprint as an executive editor on November 12, acquiring narrative nonfiction; big idea books on current events, culture; business and technology; history; and biography; with an emphasis on diverse voices. She was at Portfolio. Additionally, Stuart Roberts has been promoted to editor at Simon & Schuster. Rob Kirkpatrick has launched his own agency, Kirkpatrick Literary. He was an agent with the Stuart Agency. Caitlin Mulrooney-Lyski has joined Ecco as director of publicity. She was deputy director of publicity at Grand Central. Annie Berger has been promoted to senior editor at Sourcebooks Fire. Open Road senior […]