Andrew Wylie has made good on threats to create his own company to distribute ebooks by making deals directly with etailers rather than traditional publishers, announcing the launch of Odyssey Editions. In the first announcement, Odyssey will issue ebook versions of select titles from some of the key authors and literary estates The Wylie Agency represents, including John Updike, Salman Rushdie, Martin Amis and Hunter Thompson–and has given Amazon a two-year exclusive. The 20 titles announced so far including the Rabbit tetralogy from John Updike, MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN and LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov. Many of these titles are appearing in digital […]
Agency News
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Among approximately 35 layoffs at the San Diego Union Tribune: books editor and art critic Robert Pincus. The paper describes the process of “reshaping our newsroom” which includes new hires and revised vision of what the paper should cover. While promising “coverage of pop and classical music, theater and fine art” and a new “critic-at-large who ventures beyond entertainment and the arts,” there’s no mention of books coverage or a replacement for Pincus.Editor’s noteVoice of San Diego on layoffs Dorling Kindersley deputy ceo Andrew Phillips is taking over as president of Penguin International, one of the posts vacated by David […]
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Leigh Haber will work for Chronicle Books as an editor-at-large, acquiring and developing at least five books a year and focusing on wellness topics–spiritual, emotional, physical, personal and social–for the publisher’s lifestyle category. Haber will remain based in New Jersey. She is currently a consultant for companies including Blurb, and most recently was executive editor at Rodale. At Grand Central Publishing, Sara Weiss has been promoted to assistant editor. Susan Driscoll will become president and ceo of Wolters Kluwer Health, succeeding Gordon Macomber. In agency news, the Irene Skolnick Literary Agency will work with Lippincott Massie McQuilkin to sell and […]
UK's PFD Sold Again, to Talent Manager Backed by Matthew Freud
Beleaguered, once-proud UK agency PFD has been sold again, this time to agent Michael Foster, who will merge it with his three-person company MF Management and rename it The Rights House. (Foster’s founding investor, and the largest non-executive shareholder of the newly merged agency, is UK PR maven and son-in-law of Rupert Murdoch, Matthew Freud.) As a result, ten of the agency’s 32 staffers are reportedly going to lose their jobs. Caroline Michel, who was hired as chief executive of PFD in 2007 after previous management rebuffed efforts by core longtime agents to buy back the agency, remains as a […]
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Ayesha Pande has officially announced the change of what’s left of Collins Literary to Ayesha Pande Literary, now with a new mailing address and web site as well. Westwood Creative Artists agent John Pearce is relocating to Victoria, BBC in May 2010, where he will establish a new presence for the agency. Pearce also become a shareholder in the company. Curtis Brown svp Emilie Jacobson, 85, died April 14 “after a short illness.” A brief notice says “a fall memorial service is to be announced.” Emily St. John Mandel remembers Jacobson at The Millions. Kendra Harpster is joining the Random […]
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The UK’s Felicity Bryan has restructured to form Felicity Bryan Associates, owned by Bryan, Catherine Clarke and Caroline Wood. Clarke will serve as managing director and Wood joins the board as a director, as Bryan chairs the board and continues to work with her authors. Sally Holloway continues at the agency as an associate agent. Pablo Defendini is leaving Tor.com to join Open Road as interactive producer. New members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ main body include authors Marilynne Robinson, Francine Prose, Thomas McGuane and Richard Powers. Hachette Book Group will sell and distribute Marvel‘s books to […]