In the Random House Special Markets Group, Christine Dillon has been promoted to senior sales director, premium and proprietary sales. Cathy Serpico moves up to imprint sales manager, and Lauren Helman has been promoted to sales manager, specialty retail. At Transatlantic Literary Agency, Stephanie Sinclair and Amy Tompkins have been promoted to associate agent. The Oscar nominations were announced Thursday morning. Among the book-based films in contention for top honors, Philomena, 12 Years A Slave and The Wolf of Wall Street were all nominated for best picture, and Dirty Wars is nominated for best documentary. Also announced Thursday morning were […]
Distribution
Simon & Schuster Expands Library eBook Pilot; Guinness Moves to Macmillan
Simon & Schuster’s small pilot program for digital library lending is expanding to add 15 public libraries served by OverDrive. As with the initial efforts at New York City libraries, S&S will make available its full catalog of ebooks, offering unlimited checkouts for a year on a one copy/one user basis. The company has said previously that their library pricing is “a little bit more” than their ebook list prices. “We are pleased to expand our eBook distribution in libraries through this pilot with OverDrive,” Simon & Schuster vp, global ebook market development and strategy Doug Stambaugh said in the […]
People, Etc: Hachette to Expand Warehouse, and More
With a growing business in distributing other publishers, Hachette Book Group announced that it will expand its distribution center in Indiana, adding 218,000 square feet of space and 10 more full-time jobs. (A subsequent article noted they are investing $6.1 million in the new facility.) Construction is scheduled to begin in March. The company says “this investment confirms HBG’s intention to continue to control its own physical supply chain.” Ceo Michael Pietsch says in the announcement, “Distribution is a vital and growing part of our business at HBG, and it continues to be a high priority. We’ve been very successful […]
People: Heffernan to Retire from Penguin
Longtime president of adult hardcover and children’s sales for Penguin Dick Heffernan will retire at the end of the year after more than 24 years with the company (and almost 40 years at a company enfolded into Penguin Random House). PRH coo Madeline McIntosh notes with “much regret” after “[trying] very hard to persuade him to change his mind about retiring” that “working together with Dick during these first few months in our merged company has been a terrific experience for me, and for our Random House group, as it has always been for our Penguin colleagues. And with us having […]
People: Hayes to Retire from Harlequin, and More
Harlequin ceo and publisher Donna Hayes “has decided to retire” at the end of the year, with current Harlequin North America coo Craig Swinwood set to become the new publisher and ceo on January 1 “as part of the succession planning process.” Parent company Torstar president and ceo David Holland says in the announcement: “Donna Hayes has served Harlequin and Torstar with great distinction for the past 28 years. She has led Harlequin from being a series romance publisher to becoming a broad-based publisher of women’s fiction and has demonstrated invaluable foresight in positioning Harlequin for a more digital future.” As for Swinwood, who has […]
People, Etc.
Publishers Weekly named American Booksellers Association ceo Oren Teicher and the ABA’s board of directors as their “person of the year” for 2013, “for their role in leading the resurgence of independent bookselling.” Former DC entertainment vp of publicity (and before that publicist at Vintage and Anchor) David Hyde has launched Superfan Promotions in Los Angeles. The company will create publicity and marketing campaigns, events, and social media engagement for authors, artists, conventions, festivals, stores, entertainment companies and publishers. Managing director of Penguin Digital in the UK Anna Rafferty will serve as chair of the London Book Fair’s Digital Minds […]