Random House will try to beat the celebrity imprint jinx in a new partnership with Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner for a Lenny imprint. Overseen by editor-in-chief Andy Ward and launching in late 2017, the line will feature the “emerging voices…that Lena and Jenni Konner are already attracting and publishing so successfully in their newsletter and on their popular site.” Ward says in the announcement, “Working with Lena, Jenni and the editors of Lenny, we plan to publish a select number of titles each year to build a varied, compelling, and voice-driven list.” Dunham adds, “Jenni and I are both voracious […]
Awards
People, Awards and More
Brett Collins has joined Open Road Media as svp, product development. Previously he was founder and digital strategist at Counterspace. Michael Gedonius has joined as vp, integrated national sales. Previously he was an account manager at Playboy Enterprises. Finally, Julie Blattberg has been promoted to vp, strategic operations. Jon M. Sweeney will join Ave Maria Press in late June as executive editor. Most recently, he was editorial director at Franciscan Media, and publisher of Paraclete Press. Sanj Kharbanda has left his position as senior vice president, digital markets at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Awards James Hannaham won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for […]
People, Etc.
Olivia Taussig has joined Viking Penguin as publicist. Previously she was a publicist at Other Press. Yanni Kuznia has been promoted to managing editor and chief operating officer of Subterranean Press. The Savannah Book Festival has hired Kim Bockius-Suwyn as its new executive director. Rotraut Susanne Berner of Germany and Cao Wenxuan of China were named as the winners of the 2016 Hans Christian Andersen Award.
April Bookseller Picks
Augusten Burroughs’ Lust & Wonder is Amazon‘s spotlight pick for April, and Lab Girl by Hope Jahren is their featured debut. The rest of their best books of the month are: Maestra, L.S. Hilton Dodgers, William Beverly Kill ‘Em and Leave ‘Em, James McBride Consequence, Eric Fair The Mathews Men, William Geroux The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, Dominic Smith Girls & Sex, Peggy Orenstein Rise of the Rocket Girls, Nathalia Holt A Burglar’s Guide to the City, Geoff Manaugh The iBooks Store is featuring these titles as the month’s best fiction: The Regional Office Is Under Attack!, Manuel Gonzales Eligible, Curtis Sittenfeld Daredevils, Shawn Vestal […]
People, Etc.
Allison Malec Renzulli will join Ten Speed Press as associate director of marketing on April 11, working out of Crown’s New York offices. Previously she was culinary marketing director at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. In addition, David Hawk has been promoted to assistant publicity director; Daniel Wikey moves up to marketing and publicity manager and Erin Welke has been promoted to publicity manager. PEN America announced it will honor Egyptian novelist Ahmed Naji with the 2016 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award at its annual Literary Gala on May 16. Corporate Egmont sold its Czech subsidiary, with sales of close to $5 million, […]
May Indie Next List
We already noted that Elizabeth Church’s The Atomic Weight of Love was the ABA’s Indie Next No. 1 pick for May, but now the full list has been released. And it includes 6 books already featured in our spring/summer Buzz Books free ebook and available for you to start reading now (asterisked): The Mirror Thief, by Martin Seay Everyone Brave Is Forgiven,* by Chris Cleave Redemption Road, by John Hart Everybody’s Fool, by Richard Russo Britt-Marie Was Here, by Fredrik Backman Mothering Sunday: A Romance, by Graham Swift LaRose,* by Louise Erdrich Julia Reed’s South: Spirited Entertaining and High-Style Fun All […]