Abrams Artists Agency, which has traditionally focused on talent representation, has hired former Collins president Steve Ross. Starting next week, he will serve as director of a newly-created book division, building a traditional book literary agency business, and will also create and run Abrams Authors Services, building on some of his freelance work since leaving HarperCollins. Ross says in the announcement: “While some authors and their work remain best suited for an established publishing company, others may benefit from a more personal, hands-on approach with a different financial structure, an approach only now possible thanks to the rapid proliferation of […]
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Cengage Learning is restructuring to consolidate its business units into “one streamlined operating group” and two key executives are leaving as a result. They are bringing together their academic and professional group, the Gale library/reference division, and their international operations and say the transition “is expected to be completed in September.” President of Gale Patrick Sommers will retire at the end of July, and president of academic and professional group Ron Mobed will leave the company. A new executive committee includes ceo Ron Dunn; Adrian Butler, Executive Vice President, Human Resources; Ken Carson, General Counsel; Dean Durbin, Chief Financial Officer; […]
People and More: Schnittman to New Bloomsbury Post, Harper Uses NetGalley; and Much More
Oxford University Press vp of corporate and business development (and thus digital dealmaker) Evan Schnittman is joining Bloomsbury in newly-created position of managing director, group sales and marketing, print and digital, starting August 2. He will lead Bloomsbury’s sales and marketing in the UK, US, and Germany across all divisions of the group, and will take a lead role in Bloomsbury’s digital efforts. Chief executive Nigel Newton, to whom Schnittman reports, underscores in the announcement, “The creation of the role of a worldwide head of sales and marketing and the appointment of a highly experienced American with considerable digital experience […]
Penguin Canada Gets A New Local, Non-Canadian Boss, As Rundle’s Lawsuit Is Settled–And She’ll Return to Work
Penguin has appointed president of Penguin India Mike Bryan as the new president of Penguin Canada, starting in August. A thirty-year veteran of the company, Bryan was Penguin’s international sales and marketing director before taking over the Indian unit in 2007, started Penguin Singapore and Malaysia, and “was fundamental to the development of Penguin’s international operations, setting up companies in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.” As previously announced, he will report to Penguin USA ceo David Shanks. To appease local concerns over any diminishment of Penguin Canada’s role, the company is forming a Penguin Canada Board “which will […]
International: Approval for Bertelsmann’s Spanish Book Club Deal; Scholastic’s Arabic Exports; Faber Academy Spreads
The European Commission has approved a deal under which Bertelsmann’s Circulo de Lectores book club in Spain will now be controlled jointly by the German media group and Spain’s Planeta.Dow Jones The LAT had an interesting feature on Scholastic‘s efforts to translate select books from their list into Arabic. “Over the last three years, almost 17 million copies have been shipped from a plant in Missouri to elementary schools across the Middle East and North Africa. The State Department “paid for translations through a democracy-building initiative and for printing about half the books.” Scholastic vp Carol Sakoian says, “arents in […]
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Reka Simonsen will join Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s as executive editor for Harcourt on August 2, reporting to editorial director Jeannette Larson. She was previously a senior editor at Henry Holt Children’s. Later this month Ethan Rutherford will join Milkweed Editions as publicity manager. British author Dame Beryl Bainbridge, 75, died of cancer. The Guardian writes: “One of the grandes dames of the UK’s literary scene, Bainbridge was a prolific writer whose short, dark comic novels – which invariably included a streak of tragedy – landed her five shortlistings for the Man Booker prize (and the label of perennial Booker […]