Author and academic Umberto Eco, 84, died February 19 at his home in Milan. Eco was the author of many works of nonfiction and novels, including The Name of the Rose (1983), Foucault’s Pendulum (1988) and most recently Numero Zero, published last November by longtime US publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, who said in a statement: “Umberto Eco was one of the great novelists and scholars of our time. Yet even more than for his timeless works, we will remember him for his exuberance, his vitality, his intense loyalties, and his wonderful company.” Author and National Book Award finalist Rosario Ferré, […]
Obits
People: Lucas to Lead NBF
Lisa Lucas, 36, the publisher of arts magazine Guernica, will become executive director of the National Book Foundation, starting March 14. She tells the NYT, “Readers are everything, readers are everyone. It should be about building one big massive audience that’s reflective of where we live.” She adds, “The practice of building readers, is the practice of building a better world.” Taking over from Harold Augenbraum, Lucas will be the third person to lead the NBF. Chairman of the NBF David Steinberger says in the announcement, “Lisa Lucas is a dynamic leader who has served as a passionate advocate for […]
People, Etc.
Chelsey Emmelhainz will join Skyhorse on February 8 as an editor acquiring for both the Skyhorse and Arcade imprints. Previously she was an associate editor at William Morrow. Cindy Ratzlaff has joined S&S imprint North Star Way as director of brand development, reporting to Michele Martin. Previously she was president and founder of Brand New Brand You, an author brand development agency, and earlier was vp, brand marketing at Rodale. Martin said in the announcement: “Cindy has a unique set of skills that are a perfect fit for the mission of North Star Way. She understands the shift in how […]
People: On David Hartwell
Longtime Tor editor David Hartwell, 74, died on Wednesday from head trauma suffered in a fall. As Tor notes, he was nominated for the Hugo Award 41, winning the awards for Best Professional Editor in 2006 and Best Editor Long Form in 2008 and 2009, as well as editing Nebula and Hugo Award-winning novels. Tor’s Tom Doherty writes: “David Hartwell was a brilliant editor. I met David in the early 70s when he was working for Berkley and got to know him better as he was creating Timescape an imprint at Simon and Schuster. I’ve worked with him closely for the last 33 […]
People, Etc.
Amistad Press founder Charles F. Harris, 81, died December 16. Harris began his career at Doubleday in the 1950s and also worked at Random House and Howard University Press before founding Amistad in 1986, which he sold to HarperCollins in 1999 (and stayed with until 2003.) The NYT covers the growth in personalized children’s books, from UK-based Lost My Name to Sourcebooks‘ Put Me In the Story program and others. But the paper may be a little off-base in dismissing the impact. While 2 percent growth in print units is hailed as a renaissance, adding a percent or two to children’s […]
People, Etc.
At the Random House Publishing Group, Sanyu Dillon, Theresa Zoro, Susan Kamil, and Scott Shannon have all been promoted to executive vice president — comprising the executive leadership team, along with existing evps Bill Takes and Kara Welsh (whose announcement as publisher Ballantine Bantam Dell was noted Thursday) . RHPG president and publisher Gina Centrello said in the announcement: “Through our many organizational evolutions and publishing expansions, these exceptional people have helped me create an unparalleled publishing strategy for the division, while expertly managing their respective departments. Individually and collectively, they are the best of the best in the business, and I […]