Today’s Penguin Random House announcement presents a unified cross-company executive team in the US finance group (and associated services), under cfo Coram Williams. Random House’s Milena Alberti takes the new position of svp, head of global corporate finance for Penguin Random House. A number of others now formally have responsibilities across Penguin Random House, including: SVP, corporate director, business affairs, John Schline (responsible for contracts and permissions) SVP, worldwide reporting and planning, James Johnston Group controller, Tom Stefanik SVP, royalty operation, Pauline James SVP, credit, payroll & disbursements, William Sinnott SVP, corporate services, Mariella Molloy Meanwhile, executive director, publishing contracts […]
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After more than 20 years at ICM, agent Heather Schroder left the firm recently to start her own agency, Compass Talent. Her first deal under the new banner, with Flatiron Books, is posted today in our deal reports. Kelley Allen has joined Humble Bundle as director of ebooks. Previously she was a senior vendor manager at Kobo and before that, director of ebookstore and publishing relations at Diesel. At Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Jen Reynolds has been promoted to director of field sales. At Vintage/Anchor, Claudia Martinez has been promoted to design director. Manager of production and digital distribution at Random […]
People, Etc.
Mary Beth Roche has been promoted to vp, president and publisher at Macmillan Audio, and will continue to oversee the Quick and Dirty Tips website and podcast business as well as the Macmillan Speakers Bureau. JK Rowling is suing the Daily Mail for libel over an article from last fall that “misrepresented her comments” about single motherhood and caused her “great distress and embarrassment.” According to the Guardian, Rowling believes the Mail story, headlined “How JK Rowling’s sob story about her past as a single mother has left the churchgoers who cared for her upset and bewildered”, was “premised on […]
Amazon Continues Growing, But Less Than Analysts Guessed; Income Rises At Bertelsmann
Amazon reported fourth quarter sales after the close of the market on Thursday, with sales of $25.6 billion (up 20 percent) and net income of $239 million, or 51 cents a share. (That’s a profit margin of less than 1 percent.) Analysts were expecting slightly higher sales and considerably better earnings, so the stock is down about 9 percent — or roughly $35 a share — in morning trading so far. Before you get carried away, however, note that the stock was up $19 a share yesterday ahead of the earnings. And even at today’s lower levels, shares are still 37 percent […]
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Follett has named Todd Litzsinger chairman of the board, effective immediately. He succeeds Steve Waichler, who held the role on an interim basis following the passing of Follett’s former chairman, Alison O’Hara, last July. A fourth-generation Follett family member, Litzsinger first joined the company in 1992 and has served on the company board since 2003. At Simon & Schuster, Bryony Weiss has been promoted to senior marketing manager in the corporate marketing group. At Kids Can Press, Naseem Hrab has been promoted to marketing director. In addition, Carly Slack has been named senior manager, licensing and retail development, moving over […]
People, Etc.: LMQ to Manage Skolnick Back Office, William Lynch Gets A Job
Lippincott Massie McQuilkin announced that they will manage all back-office operations of the Irene Skolnick Literary Agency. LMQ has been selling and managing foreign rights for Skolnick’s authors since 2010. Skolnick says in the announcement, “I am delighted to be moving the agency to the offices of my friends at LMQ, where I will be able to focus my energies on the parts of the job I love most — finding and nurturing literary talent.” Rob McQuilkin notes they “feel honored that Irene is entrusting us with an agency she has so carefully and lovingly built over the past twenty years.” […]