At Scholastic, Durya Aziz has been promoted to svp, international education publisher in the international division. At St. Martin’s Press, Yaniv Soha and Sara Goodman have both been promoted to editor. In the UK, Hodder & Stoughton has promoted Kate Howard to associate publisher. Former poet laureate of New Jersey, author of numerous books of prose, poetry, and criticism, and political activist Amiri Baraka, 79, died Thursday in Newark. He had been hospitalized in December because of an undisclosed illness but a spokesman for his son’s mayoral campaign told the Star-Ledger late last month his condition was improving.
Obits
People: Ned Vizzini, 32, Dies
Author Ned Vizzini, 32, committed suicide Thursday evening in Brooklyn, the borough medical examiner’s office confirmed to us (as well as to the LAT.) Vizzini wrote the young adult novels IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY, turned into the 2010 film of the same name, THE OTHER NORMALS and BE MORE CHILL, as well as the middle-grade novel HOUSE OF SECRETS (co-written with director Chris Columbus), with a sequel set to be published by Balzer + Bray on March 25. Vizzini also worked as a TV writer on shows including “Teen Wolf” and “The Last Resort.” He is survived by […]
People: Janson-Smith to Retire
Patrick Janson-Smith will retire in fall 2014 when he turns 65, after his fortieth consecutive Frankfurt Book Fair. He is currently publisher of the boutique imprint Blue Door at Harper UK, which he founded in 2008. The line will close after his retirement. He says: “The industry has changed so much in the past few years. The whole industry is in a bit of a mess at the moment, but it can only get better. I think Stephen Page said, if you can’t understand it, get out. I think that’s good advice, which I intend to follow. I’m a book man, and I […]
People, Etc
Rosetta Books announced multiple promotions: Nav Khalsa has been appointed digital marketing director; Greg Freed is production and distribution director; Michelle Weyenberg has been named digital marketing and promotions manager; Hannah Bennett is now production manager; and Peter Clark is production manager. Also, the head of Rosetta’s UK office Jonathan Ward will relocate to Beijing in January, where his duties will include supervising a new, exclusive partnership with the China National Publications Import and Export Group to distribute their english-language ebooks catalog to libraries, schools, and other institutional accounts in China. Rosetta ceo Arthur Klebanoff notes that “The market in […]
People, Etc.
Gina Rizzo has joined Harper Children’s as senior publicist. She was a publicist at Tarcher/Penguin. Gillian Flynn‘s GONE GIRL will finally be published in paperback by Broadway Books on April 22, 2014. Crown says the novel, whose adaptation to film will be released next fall, has sold more than 4 million copies in hardcover and ebook in the US and an additional 2 million copies internationally. Osprey Publishing has acquired British Wildlife Publishing. The company produces field guildes and books on British natural history along with two magazines. Founders Andrew Branson and Anne Branson will leave the business, and the unit […]
Briefs: New Divisions for Macmillan Children’s UK; Charlotte Zolotow Dies; and More
Macmillan Children’s UK announced the creation of two audience-focused publishing divisions, Macmillan Under 6s, to be overseen by publisher Stephanie Barton, and Macmillan Over 6s, led by Venetia Gosling. Both Barton and Gosling will report to Belinda Rasmussen, with Gosling also working with Pan Macmillan publisher Jeremy Trevethan on crossover projects. Each new division also announced additional promotions: At Under 6s, Suzanne Carnell becomes publishing director, Picture Books & Pre-School, and Jackie McCann moves up to editorial director, Campbell and nursery. At Over 6s, Gaby Morgan has been promoted to editorial director, adding backlist strategy to her existing remit of […]