Jon Klassen‘s This is Not My Hat has won the UK’s Kate Greenaway medal, and Kevin Brooks’ The Bunker Diary was awarded the Carnegie medal. (The latter is not available in the US, which may present an opportunity — though it took a decade to publish this book about a kidnapped boy held hostage in a bunker, which the Telegraph calls an “unremittingly bleak account.”) Pat Strachan is no longer an editor at Little, Brown, where she worked since 2002, following the layoffs earlier this month. She can be reached at phstrachan@gmail.com. Kelly Rudolph has joined Harper as a publicity director, reporting to […]
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Deputy publisher of Little, Brown Heather Fain has been appointed to the additional new position of svp, director of marketing strategy, a central marketing function within HBG. She will report to ceo Michael Pietsch for the new role, and he said of the appointment, “The publisher’s role as marketer has never been more important. In Heather’s 13 years at Little, Brown she has demonstrated constant innovation in marketing and superb partnership with editors, publicists, agents, and authors….. This new approach will allow us to raise our marketing to even greater heights.” The NYT speaks with literary agent Carmen Balcells and comes away with […]
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Samhain Publishing owner Christina Brashear has returned to the operational role of publisher and “her first order of business was to restructure the editorial team.” Publisher Lindsey Faber is leaving and will serve a consulting role, and editorial director Heather Osborn will become a freelance editor. Brashear says, “Samhain will be returning to its roots of finding and publishing bestselling romance writers” such as Maya Banks and Lorelei James. She pledges a “renewed dedication to monetize subsidiary rights” for the list of over 2,500 novels. The Samhain Horror line under editor Don D’Auria will double its publishing volume in the next […]
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Paul Crichton is leaving Simon & Schuster Children’s, where he is vp, executive director of publicity, on June 27, after more than nine years. Crichton plans to “to take some time off this summer and literally travel around the world as he mulls the next steps in his career.” President and publisher of S&S Children’s Jon Anderson commended Crichton in a statement for “garnering a significant amount of attention for our titles” by the likes of Scott Westerfield, Cassandra Clare, Rachel Renee Russell, John Lithgow, and Ellen Hopkins…His contacts with the press, his reputation within children’s publishing, and his relationships […]
Corporate: New Sales Structure at Hachette UK; Berteslmann to Exit German Book Club Business
Hachette UK has reorganized its sales force into two groups due to “substantial changes to our markets.” The first group comprises Little Brown UK and Orion; the second comprises Hodder & Stoughton, Headline, Hachette Children’s Books and Quercus. As a result of the changes, sales director at Orion Dallas Manderson is leaving “to pursue other interests” while executive director sales and marketing at Quercus Jane Harris is also exiting in July. Hachette said the restructure means a “small number of roles in sales are now at risk of redundancy.” The Little Brown UK and Orion team will be overseen by Rob Manser, currently […]
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The winding down of Byliner.com continues with the departure of co-founder and ceo John Tayman. He told contributors in an email on Sunday, “I’ve stepped down as Byliner’s CEO, but I’ll be forever thankful for the opportunity to work with and for you,” the NY Observer reports. Tayman is the one who, when we queried him in early May about reports that Byliner was looking for a buyer and would have to wind down within a month or so if no purchaser came forward, declined to respond and reportedly instructed staff to keep quiet. Co-founder Mark Bryant left the company […]