Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has hired Leigh Zarelli as svp of consumer brands, driving the strategic direction and expansion of direct-to-consumer product offerings. They have also hired Caroline Fraser as vp of program development and acquisition, spearheading new content development for the consumer market and identifying new media channels for HMH’s stable of iconic brands and characters. Zarelli was at AOL; Fraser was at Scholastic Media — and both will report to evp and chief of consumer brands and strategy, CJ Kettler. In the Random House publicity department, Jennifer Garza has been promoted to assistant director; Michelle Jasmine moves up to publicity manager; and Jenna Friedman has been […]
Authors
March Bookseller Picks
The March Pennie’s Pick at Costco is Dead Wake by Erik Larson, releasing the 10th. At Amazon, George Hodgman‘s Bettyville — previewed now in our Spring/Summer Publishers Lunch Buzz Books sampler — is their spotlight pick, and Jill Alexander‘s Hausfrau is the featured debut. The other picks for March are Larson, along with: H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald All the Old Knives, Olen Steinhauer Aquarium, David Vann The Last Flight of Poxl West, Daniel Torday Barefoot Dogs, Antonio Ruiz-Camacho The Animals, Christian Kiefer The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot, Blaine Harden Future Crimes, Marc Goodman Apple’s iBooks Store features Torday […]
Paula Deen Books to Return This Fall, Distributed By HBG
Paula Deen returns to book publishing this fall, issuing her titles through Paula Deen Ventures, the company she launched in early 2014 with backing from Najafi Media. The company announced an agreement with Hachette Book Group to sell and distribute her titles throughout the world. The first planned new title is Deen Cuts the Fat, for publication September 8, and PDV plans reissues of at least some of Deen’s previous titles, including The Lady & Sons, A Savannah Country Cookbook, and The Lady & Sons, Too! Deen tells People Magazine the book has “200 amazing light recipes.” She notes, “I cut the calories […]
People, Etc.
Benjamin Lee will join Putnam and Dutton as vp, associate publisher of paperbacks, as both imprints will launch their own in-house paperback lines beginning January 2016. Lee was previously vp, associate publisher at Atria. At St. Martin’s, Monique Patterson has been promoted to editorial director of romance while also continuing as executive editor. She will continue to acquire women’s fiction, literary fiction and commercial nonfiction for all parts of St. Martin’s list (hardcover, trade, mass market and ebook) and will continue to strengthen SMP’s African American fiction and nonfiction program as well. Former White House Press Secretary and political analyst for CNN Jay Carney will […]
People, Etc.
Kirkus Media has promoted chief operating officer Meg LaBorde Kuehn to the newly created position of ceo, continuing to report to president and publisher Mark Winkleman and co-owner Herb Simon. Winkleman said in the announcement: “It’s been five years since Herb Simon and I bought Kirkus Media, and no one has been more important to the company’s turn-around than Meg. [She] has been an extraordinary leader for Kirkus, someone who inspires our staff and brings innovative ideas that have rejuvenated an 82-year-old institution in publishing.” At Yale University Press London, publisher for trade books Heather McCallum will take over as […]
Kindle Unlimited Pool Is Bigger In Dollars, Lower Per Book
With the continuing rollout of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited subscription program to additional territories, the total payout to participating authors continues to grow, even as the per-borrow payment remains near its lowest levels. Every month on or about the 15th, Amazon tells authors how much they will be paid on a retroactive basis, still terming the payment a “bonus” rather than something they earned and are entitled to receive. For January borrows, Amazon said they are adding $5.5 million to the payout pool, for a total fund of $8.5 million. That works out to just under $1.38 a book (covering approximately 6.175 […]