Readerlink has acquired the former Reader’s Digest Children’s Publishing, which has been operating as Studio Fun International, and will merge the list into their Printers Row Publishing Group and existing group of imprints. The release notes that “on a transitional basis, some SFI employees will continue to perform similar duties and tasks under a transitional arrangement with ReaderLink” — suggesting that in general, the employees of SFI will not have a permanent home at ReaderLink. The list includes titles licensed from Disney, Disney*Pixar, Marvel, and LucasFilm properties, as well as books under license from Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Mattel, Hasbro, and Sesame Workshop. ReaderLink ceo Dennis Abboud […]
New Imprints
New Young Adult Imprints for St. Martin’s and PRH Canada
St. Martin’s is launching a crossover, coming-of-age imprint publishing “in and beyond the YA category,” Wednesday Books. Launching in fall 2017 and aiming for 10 to 20 titles a year, it is led by Jennifer Enderlin and editorial director Sara Goodman. SMP will publish Rainbow Rowell, Courtney Summers, Roshani Chokshi, and all of their young adult titles going forward under the Wednesday Books name. As Enderlin notes in the release, it is the first time in 16 years that SMP has launched a new imprint. Goodman adds, “Coming-of-age is a broad category and I’m eager to find titles for both the adult and young adult sides of […]
People, Etc.
Vicki Jaeger has joined Portable Press — part of ReaderLink’s Printers Row Publishing Group — as developmental editor. She was marketing manager at Mattel Consumer Products, and most recently a licensing consultant for entertainment and consumer products companies. At Donaghy Literary Group Valerie Noble has been promoted to senior agent. Amanda Ayers Barnett has joined the company as an agent (she has been a freelance book editor for New York Book Editors), and Alex Franks has joined as a junior agent. The Authors Guild announced that, for the first time since its founding in 1912, it is inviting “emerging writers” who have not yet published a book to join the […]
Hogarth Lines Up Sarah Jessica Parker Imprint
After playing the writer in “Sex and the City,” actor Sarah Jessica Parker is the latest celebrity to set up an imprint. She will be editorial director of SJP for Hogarth, where she “will help to find, edit and publish three or four new novels a year,” with the first list expected to publish in 2018. Parker was enlisted by Crown publisher Molly Stern. Parker tells the NYT she’s looking for “great stories” and “global voices” which they note “is another way of saying she can’t say too much.” SJP joins recently announced forthcoming lines from the likes of Andy Cohen, Lena […]
People, Etc.
Marketing technology start-up OptiQly, which is working on optimizing the display and sales of books, ebooks, and other products at online retailers, has acquired The Logical Marketing Agency, a boutique digital marketing consultancy. Logical co-founders Pete McCarthy and Jess Johns have joined OptiQly full-time, as chief product officer and director of marketing, respectively. The third co-founder, Mike Shatzkin, will remain involved through a long-term consulting agreement, and already sits on the OptiQly board. OptiQly ceo Evan Schnittman says in the announcement, “Since the three Logical Marketing partners are among the founders of OptiQly, this is a unifying step with the intention of providing more – and more […]
People, Etc.
Amanda Bergeron moves to Berkley as executive editor on September 26. She has been at Morrow/Avon for the past 8 years. Natasha Fairweather will leave United Agents and join Rogers, Coleridge & White in October, where she will also join the board. Joan Strasbaugh has joined The Experiment as senior editor. Becky Herrick has joined Skyhorse as editor at Sky Pony Press. She was previously with Scholastic. David Marcus has been named literary editor at The Nation, overseeing books and arts coverage, succeeding John Palatella, who will become an editor at large. Marcus was previously co-editor at Dissent. Nebraska Book Holdings named Rick Bunka as their new president and ceo, […]