This year’s BEA is featuring a “Book Expo Challenge” contest focused on start-ups that’s a hybrid of floor display space and a chance at two prizes. For $599 registrants/contestants get a table and two chairs in a little “Startup Alley” section of the trade show floor (inside the Digital Discovery Zone). Registered companies also get…
BEA13
People, Etc.
Today’s Penguin Random House announcement presents a unified cross-company executive team in the US finance group (and associated services), under cfo Coram Williams. Random House’s Milena Alberti takes the new position of svp, head of global corporate finance for Penguin Random House. A number of others now formally have responsibilities across Penguin Random House, including:…
BEA Shrinks, With Some Growth
Book Expo show director Steve Rosato posted preliminary, unverified numbers on attendance for last week’s convention, with the data showing some kind of decline in various ways — though growth as well. BEA reports that total attendance was 19,615 people, down a marginal 79 people from a year ago. But “attendees” — people coming to…
Grumpy Cat Has His Day, But Pig In A Wheelchair Is Next with Three-Book Deal
As previewed last week, Grumpy Cat emerged as one of the biggest celebrity draws at BEA last week, with convention-goers lining up by the Chronicle booth for almost two hours. “Just 15 minutes into the event, the crowd was so anxious to get close to Grumpy Cat that the BEA organizers called for two extra…
People, Awards, Etc.
Wiley has hired John Kritzmacher as evp, chief financial officer, starting July 1. Current cfo and chief operations officer Ellis Cousens, who previously announced his retirement at the end of fiscal 2014, will “retain responsibility for certain global operations and oversee the company’s $80 million restructuring program.” Kritzmacher, 52, recently served as svp, business operations…
A BEA Round-Up; During and After Hours
Malcolm Gladwell deftly moved on from his Wednesday remarks at BEA’s IDPF conference at a party thrown by publisher Little, Brown for his forthcoming book David and Goliath on Thursday night. He referred to his “disaster of yesterday” when he apparently “said I was in favor of turning the New York Public library into condos,”…
