Scholastic announced that it has withdrawn publication of the picture book A Birthday Cake for George Washington by Ramin Ganeshram and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, which was published on January 5. The book had been criticized sharply for its upbeat depiction of slaves, with School Library Journal calling it “highly problematic” while Kirkus Reviews deemed it “an incomplete, even dishonest treatment of slavery.” There are more than 100 one-star reviews of the book on Amazon so far. The publisher said in a statement Sunday night: “While we have great respect for the integrity and scholarship of the author, illustrator, and editor, we […]
Authors
People, Etc.
Sarah Grimm has joined Crown as publicist, working on the Crown, Hogarth, Broadway, and Tim Duggan Books imprints. Previously she was an associate publicist at Putnam. Printz Award winner and two-time National Book Award finalist Gene Luen Yang has been named the new as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. He says in the announcement, “I’m thrilled and humbled…. Reading breaks down the walls that divide us. By reading, we get to know people outside of our own communities. We gain knowledge others don’t expect us to have. We discover new and surprising passions. Reading is critical to our growth, both […]
People, Etc.
Former BEA director of education Mark Dressler died December 23 from cancer. Dressler also programmed sessions for the Frankfurt Book Fair, and was co-owner of a wine shop in his home of Traverse City, MI. USA Today named Girl on the Train author Paula Hawkins as their “author of the year.” They write: “Before 2015, no one had heard of Hawkins, 43, who previously wrote chick lit under the pseudonym Amy Silver. Then Train hurtled into bookstores on Jan. 13 and immediately clicked with readers desperate for the next Gone Girl.” Riverhead has sold over 4 million units in the US. But it […]
People, Etc.
At the Random House Publishing Group, Sanyu Dillon, Theresa Zoro, Susan Kamil, and Scott Shannon have all been promoted to executive vice president — comprising the executive leadership team, along with existing evps Bill Takes and Kara Welsh (whose announcement as publisher Ballantine Bantam Dell was noted Thursday) . RHPG president and publisher Gina Centrello said in the announcement: “Through our many organizational evolutions and publishing expansions, these exceptional people have helped me create an unparalleled publishing strategy for the division, while expertly managing their respective departments. Individually and collectively, they are the best of the best in the business, and I […]
People, Etc.: Welsh to BBD As Publisher, and More
Kara Welsh will join Ballantine Bantam Dell as executive vice president, publisher on January 19, reporting to Gina Centrello. Previously Welsh was svp, publisher at the Berkley Publishing Group, after joining NAL as publisher in 2001. Reporting to Welsh are svp, associate publisher and editor-in-chief Jennifer Hershey, and svp, deputy publisher Kim Hovey. Centrello said in the announcement: “Kara and I both began our publishing careers at Pocket Books, where she rose to vice president, deputy publisher. I loved working with her. Each day, she demonstrated her can-do, solutions-centric publishing sensibility, her open, collaborative, calm work ethic, and her advocacy […]
Oprah Winfrey Will Launch New Imprint at Flatiron Books With Memoir THE LIFE YOU WANT
Flatiron Books will publish Oprah Winfrey’s forthcoming memoir THE LIFE YOU WANT in January 2017, the lead title in Winfrey’s as-yet-unnamed book imprint, expected to include several non-fiction titles per year chosen personally by Oprah. The book, which will be published simultaneously by Pan Macmillan in the UK, Australia, South Africa and India, promises to reveal “never-before told stories from her own experience and shines a light on how anyone can put their life on a new trajectory.” Winfrey said in the announcement: “All of my experiences, even the painful ones, have been there to teach me something about life. […]