The Crown Publishing Group is retiring Doubleday Religion as an imprint, and will publish all Catholic-interest titles under the existing Image Books imprint (established in 1954). Trace Murphy continues as editor-in-chief of Image (and will still acquire for Harmony as well), now reporting to Steve Cobb, whose title modified to president and publisher of Waterbrook Multnomah and Image Books. Image’s editorial, art and production staff will remain in New York, but marketing, publicity, and sales administration will be run out of the Colorado Springs office under associate publisher Carie Freimuth. Crown deputy publisher Michael Palgon writes in an internal memo […]
New Imprints
Announcements: BN Settles Spring Design Lawsuit; McGraw-Hill Buys Bookette; Quarto Buys Cool Springs Press; and More
Barnes & Noble has settled with Spring Design over the 2009 lawsuit on whether the Nook’s design breached patent agreements for the now discontinued Alex Reader. Under terms of the agreement, Spring is granting Barnes & Noble a non-exclusive license for all of its patents and patent applications. Other terms of the settlement were not disclosed.Release McGraw-Hill has bought Bookette Software Co., a privately held provider of automated scoring for tests, including written exams.Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Release AbeBooks’ European division will acquire ZVAB.com, a leading online marketplace of German rare antiquarian books, from Mediantis AG. The acquisition […]
Zondervan CEO Girkins to Exit, New Non-Fiction Imprint at Orion; and More
Zondervan said that president and CEO, Maureen “Moe” Girkins, will leave her position as of March 11, 2011. Acting general manager of Zonderan’s The City, an integrated software platform for church communities Scott Macdonald will serve as interim president during the “transition period” as a search for a new CEO is conducted. Elizabeth Eulberg is leaving Little, Brown, where she has been director of global publicity for Stephanie Meyer, to write full-time. At Fordham University Press, Wil Cerbone has been promoted to editorial associate and assistant to the director, while Tom Lay is now assistant editor. Stephanie Swane has joined […]
People, Awards, Etc.: Cavin, Orson Scott Card, PM Hires, and More
Mystery book editor for Thomas Dunne Books Ruth Cavin, 92, died yesterday morning. She is remembered by longtime family friend Mike Shatzkin on his blog, who notes “what is unique about Ruth’s career is that she didn’t become an editor until she was past her 60th birthday and didn’t start her more than two decades at St. Martin’s until she was 70.” Also remarkable is Macmillan’s efforts to help Cavin keep coming to the office.Post Orson Scott Card‘s website reports that he suffered a “mild stroke” on New Year’s “He is now back home, retraining his brain so that the […]
Seth Godin Creates New Publisher, “Powered by Amazon”
In August author/marketing guru/entrepreneur Seth Godin announced on his popular blog that he would no longer “publish in a traditional way.” The basis thesis was that, now that Godin is in direct and meaningful contact with his core readership, “adding layers or faux scarcity doesn’t help me or you.” That post inspired ideas in multiple quarters, including at Amazon.com–which has worked with Godin on a variety of promotional initiatives over the course of his career. They crafted a new suite of services that is being called “Powered by Amazon,” which the release says “enables authors to use Amazon’s global distribution, […]
People
Former longtime director of rights and contracts at McClelland & Stewart Marilyn Biderman has opened an eponymous literary agency, based in Toronto, and is out with her first submission in both the US and Canada: French-Canadian Marguerite Pigeon’s debut novel OPEN PIT. Biderman says she will represent genre, commercial and literary fiction, along with narrative nonfiction and memoir and “the occasional expert as a client as well.” In deciding her next step in publishing, Biderman says, “I really looked at what was important to me and where my allegiances lie. It’s always been with the publishing process and protecting the […]