Awards The UK’s Goldsmiths prize for fiction “that breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of the novel” has gone to Nicola Barker for novel H(a)ppy (Heinemann). Retailer WH Smith picked Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman as their fiction book of the year, with The Little Big Things by Henry Fraser as their nonfiction book of the year. Canada’s Writers’ Trust literary awards were presented, with winners including Brother by David Chariandy for fiction, and Life on the Ground Floor: Letters from the Edge of Emergency Medicine by James Maskalyk for nonfiction. The Jewish Book Council’s Natan Book Award, a […]
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John Kulka has been hired as editorial director for Library of America, taking over from Geoffrey O’Brien, who will retire at the end of 2017. Currently executive editor at Basic, he has worked for Barnes & Noble, Yale University Press, and Harvard University Press, and has served on the boards of the Dalkey Archive Press and the David Charles Horn Foundation, which supports the Yale Drama Series. Publisher Max Rudin said in the announcement, “John’s broad and deep knowledge of American writing, his experience on both the publishing and bookselling sides, and his career-long dedication to quality, make him the […]
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Lauren Adams has been promoted to senior marketing manager of licensed and proprietary brands marketing for Random House Children’s. Kate Hutchison joins BookShout as director of business development and publisher relations. Most recently she worked for the startups Litsy and Bookstr. LitHub’s latest “interview with a gatekeeper” features Colin Dickerman. On why being an editor is the best job: “Because I feel like it engages so many different ways of thinking. You’re reading something critically, you’re negotiating a contract, there’s a social aspect to it…you’re going out and meeting people. And there is the very intense relationship with an author, which […]
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Jacqui Small will step down as group publisher for her eponymous imprint at Quarto at the end of 2017, after which she will work part-time as publisher at large. The imprint has been part of Quarto since 2004, following their acquisition of Aurum Press. Chief executive of Quarto Marcus Leaver, chief executive of Quarto says: “Jacqui’s career is an extraordinary achievement. She has created a unique style through her ability to spot emerging lifestyle trends and her passion for publishing excellence. All of us at Quarto feel incredibly lucky to have had her as a colleague, mentor and friend. Her legacy […]
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Lisa Bankoff has left ICM and established her own agency, Bankoff Collaborative. She says of the move: “I grew up at ICM and had the privilege of daily working alongside some of the brightest minds in this–or any–business. What I look forward to now is the wherewithal to operate outside of a corporate culture and do an even better job of serving the interests of the many clients who have moved with me.” Knopf editor George Andreou will take over as director of the Harvard University Press in September, following the recent retirement of William P. Sisler. Andreou joined Knopf in 1990, and co-founded […]
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The AP has their Book Expo round-up piece, recapping some of the politically-focused events and high-profile fall titles. But attendees “also speculated about Book Expo. Square footage for the show has shrunk noticeably in recent years and the large gaps on the convention floor at times gave Book Expo the look of an idled factory. Publishers have wondered for years whether the convention was necessary in the Internet Age, when deals once negotiated at BookExpo are now accomplished online.” Awards Karan Mahajan won the NYPL Young Lions Fiction Award for The Association of Small Bombs. Obituaries Avie Bennett, 89, former […]