Alison Rich has been promoted to the newly created role of senior vice president, author development, Penguin Random House, reporting to Nina von Moltke. She “will take the lead in helping us push further with the author brand development work.” Rich continues to oversee licensing-business development for the adult divisions, the Out of Print merchandising group, and the Author Portal, which will “look to build functionality and programming.” Newly reporting to her is vp, executive director PRH Speakers Bureau Tiffany Tomlin. Laura Eckes has been promoted to senior designer for Simon & Schuster Children’s and Paula Wiseman Books. At Atheneum, […]
Bookstores
The Second Wave: Book Sales Lockdowns in Europe
As France and the UK impose broad lockdowns again in the wake of rapidly rising Covid-19 infections, the treatment of book sales is receiving more focused attention this time versus the spring shutdowns. In France, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Sunday night that he would prohibit supermarkets — which are still open — from selling non-essential products including books “as a matter of fairness” to specialty retailers such as bookstores, which are closed. This morning, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the government would consider allowing small stores to reopen as early as November 12, rather than December 1, […]
People, Etc.
Chairman emeritus of Writers House Al Zuckerman is retiring 47 years after founding the agency. “A true legend of the industry,” the agency writes, “At the beginning of his storied career, Al was a one man shop, taking business meetings in a bank lobby; he retires having overseen the growth of the company to the industry-leading agency it is today, with over twenty agents and fifty employees. At the core of his success was Al’s extraordinary understanding of storytelling, begun with his doctoral thesis on Hamlet at Yale’s famed Drama School and continuing on through his own work as a […]
People, Etc.
Kathy Belden has been promoted to editorial director at Scribner, announced by editor-in-chief Colin Harrison and publisher Nan Graham: “Kathy’s books and authors have transformed the Scribner list…. This is a reflection of Kathy’s exceptional contributions to the imprint — her advocacy for the books edited by her colleagues; her mentorship of younger staff and counsel to older; her work to make systems better serve our staff and authors; her commitment and leadership in all matters DEI; her nourishing of the community — even and especially now that we are physically apart; her wisdom and grace, generosity and humor.” Rebecca […]
The Strand’s Revenues Are Down “Nearly 70 Percent”
Owner of the the Strand Book Store Nancy Bass wrote to customers asking for support to sustain and save the business: “The Strand’s revenue has dropped nearly 70 percent compared to last year…. Because of the impact of Covid-19, we cannot survive the huge decline in foot traffic, a near-complete loss of tourism, and zero in-store events.” Bass says, “The next few months will determine the future of The Strand.” The store did receive a PPP loan, reported by their union to be over $1 million. Bass says that loan and their cash reserves “allowed us to weather the past […]
Barnes & Noble Hack Said to be Confirmed As Ransomware Attack; Nook Restoration Almost Complete
A reporter for BleepingComputer says he has confirmed what has been suspected since the Barnes & Noble cybersecurity attack was first observed: A group using the new Egregor ransomware “is claiming responsibility,” having “gained access to [the] corporate network” and “state that they stole unencrypted files as part of the attack.” The site says it “was contacted by a threat actor who stated that the Egregor ransomware operation was behind the attack.” They add that the group “published files that they claim were stolen during the attack on Barnes & Noble.” But their take on those proof packet files is […]