Michele Obama spoke at the ALA conference in New Orleans on Friday evening, discussing her upcoming memoir BECOMING, to be released on November 13. Obama mostly avoided politics, except to say, “In this country we’ve gotten to a point where we kind of think there are only a handful of legitimate stories that make you a true American.” Otherwise she spoke about her early summer job at a book bindery, anecdotes from her life as first lady, and her love of reading. Also at ALA, the Association for Library Service to Children voted unanimously to remove Laura Ingalls Wilder’s name from a […]
Obits
People, Etc.
Anthony Bourdain, 61, television host and author of Kitchen Confidential, died in Strasbourg, France of apparent suicide. Bourdain launched his own imprint at Ecco Press in 2011, Anthony Bourdain Books, publishing titles including: The Prophets of Smoked Meat by Daniel Vaughn; Grand Forks by Marilyn Hagerty; L.A. Son by Roy Choi, and the forthcoming We Fed An Island by Jose Andres. Ecco president and publisher Daniel Halpern said, “I’ve known Tony as an author and friend for many years. He not only revolutionized the memoir genre with his groundbreaking and iconic work Kitchen Confidential, he supported emerging voices and chefs with his imprint […]
People, Etc.
Kara Rota has moved over to St. Martin’s as senior editor, acquiring nonfiction books in mind/body/spirit, popular culture, cooking, and science. She was senior editor and director at Macmillan’s Cookstr. Ingram Content Group announced a number of promotions and some new hires: Bailey Davis has been promoted to publisher engagement manager for Lightning Source; Kristal Smith is now manager, business ops support for Ingram Publisher Services; and Lori Bowen moves up to senior manager, specialty retail for Ingram’s wholesale business. At Ingram Spark, Josh Floyd is now senior key account sales manager, and Renee Lamine has been promoted to marketing manager, […]
People, Etc.
Carole DeSanti will leave Viking, where she is vp, executive editor, on June 1 after more than 30 years with the company “achieving a singular mixture of critical and commercial success and modeling the importance of the fierce editorial advocacy she offered all of her authors,” according to Viking publisher Andrea Schulz. She added in the announcement: “Personally and professionally, I will miss Carole terribly – I have relied so much on the acuteness and the generosity of her editorial judgement, not to mention her excellent cold remedies – but I hope you will join me in wishing her well […]
People, Etc.
Penguin Random House Australia conducted “a review of our structure ” and found they “no longer require the role of publishing director-Penguin Random House Literary” (comprising Hamish Hamilton, Vintage, Knopf, Viking and Penguin). As a result, Penguin veteran Ben Ball has left the company. The team for the Literary division (created last year) will now report to group publishing director Nikki Christer. Fairfax Media reports that “the immediate departure of Ball has created shockwaves in the Australian literary community, with authors, colleagues, booksellers and agents left in disbelief.” Four-time Miles Franklin Award winner Tim Winton said he was “deeply wounded by […]
People, Etc.
Will Lippincott has joined Aevitas Creative Management as an agent, based in Los Angeles. Previously he was an agent and founding partner at Lippincott, Massie & McQuilkin until he left there in late 2016 “to find new paths.” At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Nicole Ellul has been promoted to editor for Simon Pulse; Sarah McCabe becomes associate editor for Simon Pulse; and Tricia Lin moves up to assistant editor for Aladdin. Diego Molano Rodriguez joins the marketing department as marketing coordinator, moving over from the sales department where he was most recently sales assistant. Former Baltimore Sun books editor Michael Pakenham, 85, died May 9 in Hanover, […]