Farrin Jacobs will join Little, Brown Young Reader’s Poppy imprint as editorial director on October 15, reporting to Megan Tingley. Jacobs spent the past six years at HarperTeen, most recently as editorial director. Tom Miller has joined the Business Group at McGraw-Hill Professional as executive editor. He was formerly executive editor at Wiley. At Perseus Distribution, Judy Courtade has been promoted to the newly created role of associate director, backlist sales, effective October 15. Jessica Schmidt has been named associate director, client services. She was most recently manager of publisher relations at Audible. Additionally, Ari Brenman joins as manager, client […]
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People: Digital Hires at Harper
HarperCollins has hired Adrianna Dufay and Brian Perrin, both serving as executive director, digital product development, reporting to Carrie Bloxson. They will “help conceptualize and develop new digital platforms and products for individual genres and titles,” across apps, e-books, social gaming, and video products, along with helping to harness “emerging product technology and capabilities in support of the imprints.” Dufay has been at JPMorgan Chase and AOL; she will work with Avon, William Morrow, Morrow trade paperbacks, Voyager, and HarperOne. Perrin was part of the start-up team at NBC Publishing most recently and will work with Amistad, Ecco, Harper, Harper […]
People: Hachette Realigns Sales Department
Hachette Book Group has announced a new structure for their sales force under recently-hired evp and chief marketing and sales officer Evan Schnittman that will “bring the sales and marketing functions in line with the changing book market – unifying print and digital sales, and integrating research and analytics into HBG’s overall sales strategy.” The company underscores that they are not “reducing headcount as part of the re-alignmen,” and the new structure creates some new positions to be filled shortly. In the internal announcement, Schnittman explains balancing “changes that allow us to do what we do best – create massive […]
Scardino to Step Down at Pearson and International Education Head Fallon Will Take Over; Analysts Speculate On Asset Sales
Marjorie Scardino, 65, “has decided to step down” as chief executive of Pearson at the end of the year. Current head of their international education division John Fallon, 50, will take over on January 1, 2013. The company notes his “division is fundamental to Pearson’s growth strategy,” having grown to £1.4 billion in sales and employing 15,000 people in 70 countries. As education has come to dominate Pearson–and produce solid growth–analysts and investor have often lobbied for the sale of the FT Group and Penguin. Scardino had vowed not to sell the FT, but with the change at top, Ian […]
People, Awards, Etc.
Editorial director of Bloomsbury Children’s UK Emma Matthewson will join Hot Key Books at a date “to be confirmed” as editor-at-large for their recently launched fiction line for 9- to 19 year-olds. Matthewson has been at Bloomsbury for the 15 years; the move reunites her with Sarah Odedina, who was publishing director of Bloomsbury Children’s before moving to Bonnier to start up Hot Key Books. At Basic Books, TJ Kelleher has been promoted to senior executive editor, Tisse Takagi and Alex Littlefield move up to editor, and Katy O’Donnell has been promoted to assistant editor. Bloomsbury cfo Robert Marsh, who came to the […]
People, Etc.: Remembering Wendy Weil
Wendy Weil, 72, died September 22 at her country home in West Cornwall, CT. Her career as an agent spanned more than 40 years and she was president of the Wendy Weil Literary Agency, which she founded in 1987, counting Rita Mae Brown, Andrea Barrett, Mark Helprin, Alice Walker, Anthony Doerr, Phillip Lopate, and Amity Gaige among the agency’s clients. Donations in her name may be made to Teachers & Writers Collaborative. Plans for a memorial service will be announced in early fall. Emily Forland and Emma Patterson and long-time office manager Ann Torrago remain at the agency and plan […]