Michele Obama spoke at the ALA conference in New Orleans on Friday evening, discussing her upcoming memoir BECOMING, to be released on November 13. Obama mostly avoided politics, except to say, “In this country we’ve gotten to a point where we kind of think there are only a handful of legitimate stories that make you a true American.” Otherwise she spoke about her early summer job at a book bindery, anecdotes from her life as first lady, and her love of reading. Also at ALA, the Association for Library Service to Children voted unanimously to remove Laura Ingalls Wilder’s name from a […]
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At Wendy Sherman Associates, Kelli Martin has joined as an agent representing romance, women’s commercial fiction and book club fiction. She was previously a founding editor of Montlake Romance at Amazon Publishing and an executive editor at Lake Union. Nicki Richesin has joined as an agent representing upmarket and literary fiction, young adult fiction, and memoir. She previously worked as a freelance editor and at Bloomsbury in London. In a letter to booksellers about Book Expo, ABA board president Robert Sindelar addressed how indie bookstores can better take advantage of pre-orders. He said, “publishers and authors are positioning their books earlier and earlier […]
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Louise Sherwin‐Stark, currently joint managing director of Hachette Australia and New Zealand, has been appointed ceo, reporting to deputy Hachette UK ceo Richard Kitson. Sherwin-Stark shared her position with Justin Ratcliffe who will stay on as managing director of Hachette ANZ. Kate Cassaday has been promoted to executive editor at Harper Canada, effective June 25. Emily C. Chiu joined Barnes & Noble Education’s board of Directors. She is as a principal at Square, the payment technology company. Awards In the UK, Preti Taneja‘s debut novel We That Are Young won the £10,000 Desmond Elliott prize.
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Former editor-in-chief of Real Simple Kristin van Ogtrop will join Inkwell Management as a literary agent. She will represent memoir, biography, commercial women’s fiction, lifestyle and “big idea books driven by counterintuitive thinking.” Inkwell partners, Kimberly Witherspoon, Richard Pine and Michael Carlisle write: “Though Kristin was a terrifically successful magazine editor, we are certain that she was actually born to be an agent. Her experience with the written word and brand-building, along with her optimism and creativity, are the heart of her unique strengths and what will be the key to her flourishing in her new career.” Lindsey Schwoeri has […]
People, Etc.: Cheiffetz Starts Atria Imprint, MIT Clears Diaz to Teach
Julia Cheiffetz joins the Atria Publishing Group today as vice president and publisher of a yet-to-be-named imprint, effective today. She reports to new group publisher Libby McGuire, The imprint “will draw on [her] unique strengths as an editor and her passion for publishing books that address issues of social import.” She has been executive editor at Dey Street Books. Christine Mykityshyn is joining Celadon Books as director of publicity. Most recently she was publicity manager at Random House Publishing Group. Sara Beth Haring has joined St. Martin’s as marketing manager. Previously, she worked at Faith Words and Center Street. Tom Hallock, associate […]
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Matt Schweitzer has joined Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as svp, marketing, responsible for the marketing of all adult, young reader and lifestyle titles. He was most recently senior director, integrated marketing at Harper Children’s. Following operational changes and layoffs at independent audiobook publisher Novel Audio on June 8, director of publishing Michelle Kaatz and acquisitions editor Katie Robinson left the company. Awards Thirty years after her first win, Geraldine McCaughrean has received a second Carnegie Medal in the UK for Where the World Ends, and Canadian illustrator Sydney Smith won the Kate Greenaway Medal for Town Is by the Sea. Picks Barack Obama […]