Penguin Children’s will launch a new imprint this fall, Penguin Workshop, run by president and publisher of Grosset & Dunlap and Warne, Francesco Sedita. The new line will publish “new voices and established brands for readers ages birth to 12.” He says in the announcement, “Penguin Workshop is a laboratory for cultivating unique, new ideas. This has been my dream since I started at Penguin. I was an extremely reluctant reader as a child, and it’s my goal to make books that make readers. To make books that make readers smile. And sometimes, to make readers hug their books.” The […]
New Imprints
Briefs: Ferguson to Holiday House, Grisham on Tour, and More
Margaret Ferguson will join Holiday House Publishing in May as publisher of a Margaret Ferguson Books imprint, reporting to editor-in-chief Mary Cash. It’s the first time Holiday House has created an eponymous imprint. Ferguson was publisher of a Margaret Ferguson Books at Farrar, Straus Children’s. Ferguson says in the announcement, “This is a wonderful and unique opportunity for me to be involved with a small publishing house that is on the move and expanding their publishing program in interesting ways.” Chris Kepner has launched The Kepner Agency, after nine years with Victoria Sanders & Associates as an agent and director of international […]
International: Obamas’ French Publisher, New Harlequin Line, and Awards
Hachette Livre’s Fayard became the first publisher outside of the Penguin Random House family to announce that it has licensed rights, in France, to the forthcoming books by former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama. They also publish Hillary Clinton in French. Harlequin announced the launch of Harlequin Dare, a romance series “featuring strong, independent women” in “highly explicit encounters,” which will start publishing in January 2018. Harlequin is acquiring for line from their offices in London, New York and Toronto and will publish four titles a month — in both print and ebook form in the UK and Australia, and […]
People, Etc.
At Chronicle Books, AiLing Tjan has been promoted to accounting supervisor, while Barrett Hooper is now senior financial analyst and Christina Mott moves up to distribution client account manager. Ingram Content Group has tapped poetry writer and bookseller Stephen Sparks to launch a poetry newsletter called Little Infinite. Sparks owns Point Reyes Bookshop in Pt. Reyes, CA, and has contributed to a number of literary outlets including the Paris Review Daily, Tin House, Music & Literature magazine, BOMB and Lithub. Imprints Bonnier Publishing is expanding their Igloo Books mass market line, setting up a US version, led by Jeremy Nurnberg, now director of sales, North America […]
People, Etc.
Maria Campbell Associates is working for Netflix as their exclusive literary scout. Annabelle Saks in New York and Katie McCalmont in London are spearheading the scout’s efforts. Maria Campbell says in the announcement, “Our motto is ‘scouting without borders,’ which perfectly aligns with Netflix’s transformational model to bring stories in every form to people all over the world.” MCA had scouted for 16 years for Warner Bros., New Line and Warner Bros. Television, and that relationship concluded at the end of February. Allison Lorentzen has been promoted to executive editor at Viking. Former Running Press publisher Chris Navratil has joined Weldon […]
People, Etc.
Little, Brown vp, associate publisher and executive director of publicity Nicole Dewey is leaving at the end of April, to become managing director at Shreve Williams Public Relations as of May 1. Sabrina Callahan has been promoted to executive director of publicity at Little, Brown, effective immediately. Tiffany Liao has joined Holt Children’s as editor. She was previously editor at Razorbill. In the UK, Trevor Dolby will retire from Penguin Random House UK in the fall, after transitioning to part-time work at beginning of May. Dolby joined Random House UK in 2007 to create Preface. Also in the UK, Ian Stewart has been found guilty of murdering […]