Maria Guarnaschelli, 79, “the editor behind the most highly acclaimed and successful cookbooks of our time, including the monumental 1997 revision of The Joy of Cooking and the new classic The Food Lab,” died February 6 of complications of heart disease. During her four-decade book publishing career, most recently at Norton from 2000 to 2017, she introduced and edited books by culinary visionaries including J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, Judy Rodgers, Rick Bayless, Maricel Presilla, Jim Lahey, Stella Parks, Dave Arnold, and Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn, among many others. She also acquired and edited works by authors including David Quammen, Steven […]
New Imprints
People, Etc.
Emily Meehan joins Sterling Books as chief creative officer & publisher, leading what Barnes & Noble calls a “relaunch” of their publishing division. She was most recently publisher at Disney Book Group. She takes over from Sterling president Theresa Thompson, who is apparently excused from duty. Meehan calls it an “exciting new chapter not only for me, but for Sterling and Barnes & Noble. There is a lot of opportunity to publishing in bigger, forward-thinking ways with a keen eye for the best quality in editorial, design, and production.” Avideh Bashirrad has been promoted to senior vice president, deputy publisher […]
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Madeline Jones will join Algonquin Books as editor in the New York office on January 25. She was most recently at Henry Holt. Carrie Bloxson will join Hachette Book Group on February 1 as vp, diversity and inclusion, and will also join the company’s executive management board. She was interim ceo and chief marketing officer at social impact organization DoSomething.org, and previously worked as a vp,marketing at HarperCollins. Bloxson is charged with helping the company to “achieve its objective to create a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable company with increased representation of people of color in HBG’s leadership, workplaces, and […]
Spiegel & Grau Returns, As An Independent Publisher
Cindy Spiegel and Julie Grau are re-launching Spiegel & Grau as an independent publisher. The line was started at Doubleday in 2007, moved to Random House in a December 2008 reorganization, and was ultimately discontinued in early 2019 in the consolidation of Random House and Crown. The founders will serve as co-ceos, with Liza Wachter as president. Wachter previously co-founded the RWSG Literary Agency, which was acquired by WME in 2016. The new company plans to publish 15 to 20 titles a year, but will also “produce original audio content and shepherd works from print or audio to film and […]
People: Grove Promotes Executives, Boosts Starting Salaries; Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Forms Imprint with Random House
At Grove Atlantic, Peter Blackstock is promoted to vp, deputy publisher, and his new responsibilities including beginning to work with ceo and publisher Morgan Entrekin on matters relating to business and finance. Amy Hundley is promoted to vp, executive editor, while continuing as director of subsidiary rights. More broadly, the company will raise their starting salary to $40,000 for full-time employees. A new executive committee has been formed to help with “day-to-day running of the company and larger business decisions.” It comprises Elisabeth Schmitz, Judy Hottensen and Deb Seager, as well as Hundley, Blackstock and Entrekin. Entrekin said in the […]
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Sarah Bonamino has been promoted to publicist at St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Cecilia Lyra has joined P.S. Literary Agency as associate literary agent. She was previously associate literary agent at The Rights Factory. Literary agents Lester Hekking and Rik Kleuver have joined the management team at Sebes & Bisseling Literary Agency. Picks Jenna Bush Hager‘s Read With Jenna book club pick for December is The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Fishing Someone associated with Melania Trump talked to Page Six to encourage the idea that she should get a book deal: “Melania is in meetings to write her White House memoir, and it would […]