Albany store Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza is downsizing, due to the economy and online competition. They will close the children’s store next door, Little Book House, and move children’s books into the back area of their main space. In an email the owner also cited “the relentless impact of Amazon on the publishing industry.” Seattle’s Wide World Books and Maps, saved from closure in February 2016 by a crowd-funding campaign, will leave its current location by the end of April. In an email announcement, the owners noted that they are exploring options including changing locations, becoming web only, or partnering with a cafe. The announcement explains, “While […]
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Sarah Bowlin and Ariel Foxman have joined Aevitas Creative Management as affiliate agents. Bowlin was most recently a senior editor at Holt, and will be working from her home in Los Angeles. Foxman was previously the editorial director of InStyle and StyleWatch. At Portfolio/Sentinel, Niki Papadopoulos has been promoted to editorial director, Stephanie Frerich moves up to executive editor, and Leah Trouwborst is now associate editor. In the UK, at the Blake Friedmann Agency, Julian Friedmann will become chairman of the company and Conrad Williams becomes head of the media department, with Isobel Dixon becoming head of the book department and Juliet Pickering moving up […]
Crown to Publish Obama Books
Any in-house competition for the Obamas is now over, with Penguin Random House announcing that Crown will continue as the ongoing publisher of former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michele Obama. Rachel Klayman will remain Mr. Obama’s editor, and Molly Stern will edit Mrs. Obama’s book. David Drake and Tina Constable will lead the publication strategy for both books. Crown Publishing Group president and publisher Maya Mavjee says in the announcement, “Crown is honored to continue its publishing relationship with President Obama and Mrs. Obama, both of whom are transformative figures in today’s world. They will write deeply inspiring and illuminating books […]
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Open Road co-founder and former company ceo Jane Friedman is stepping down from her positions as board chair and executive publisher. Friedman will remain a director at Open Road, but “said in a statement that it was time for new leadership and that she looked forward to partnering with others in reviving classic books for the digital market.” Paul Slavin took over as ceo of Open Road last May. Shannon Welch, executive editor at Scribner, is leaving to pursue freelance editorial and writing opportunities. Martha Bucci will move over to become executive director of chain sales at Hachette Book Group USA, also […]
HarperCollins Celebrates 200 Years
HarperCollins announced a campaign to commemorate its 200th anniversary — beginning with the creation of J. & J. Harper, Printers in 1817 — focused around a new website. Anniversary events will include a campaign to support literacy and reading, charity projects, and an exhibition of historical items at the Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library in New York City. The site is organized into five sections, including: The HarperCollins 200 is a collection of Harper titles curated by booksellers and librarians from around the world; Inside the Archives, presenting images of story notes from authors, correspondence, photographs, original manuscripts, and more; […]
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Little, Brown Children’s announced a number of promotions: Jenny Choy has been promoted to associate director, school and library marketing, while Kristina Pisciotta moves up to publicity manager. Kheryn Callender is now assistant editor, Nicole Brown becomes junior designer, and Russ Busse has been promoted to associate editor, licensing, brand and media tie-ins. Timothy Cheng has been appointed to the new position of digital marketing manager, education at Penguin Random House. Previously, he was director of sales at Simon & Schuster. At Beacon Press, Rachael Marks and Will Myers have both been promoted to editor. Ursula Cary has joined Globe Pequot as executive editor of Falcon. Previously, […]