New York magazine and Vulture writer and books editor Boris Kachka is leaving his position to become books editor at the Los Angeles Times. The LAT said in an announcement, “We’re pleased to announce that Boris Kachka is joining The Times as books editor. Boris comes to us from New York magazine, where has been books editor for the last few years, and a writer and editor for two decades…In recent years he has substantially expanded the magazine’s book coverage across all of its verticals, overseeing excerpts, stories on new authors and titles, publishing news, and more.” Julia Turner, deputy […]
Personnel
PRH US CEO Madeline McIntosh Reassures Knopf Doubleday Staff
Following longtime chairman and editor-in-chief Sonny Mehta’s death on December 30, Penguin Randon House US ceo Madeline McIntosh wrote to Knopf Doubleday staff the next day: To everyone at Knopf Doubleday, As much as today’s loss is one for publishing as a whole, I know that this is a deep and personal loss for many of you. Sonny was unique. He was an exceptional editor and publisher. And I recognize all of you felt not only safe under his leadership, but something more: you felt like you were part of a family. The longevity and stability of your group, along […]
People, Etc.
Sharon Shell has joined Independent Publishers Group as director of library & education sales. She was previously director of implementation, sales operations at Scholastic. Daniel O’Connor has been promoted to senior sales manager at Bloomsbury. Jacqui Lipton has founded Raven Quill Literary Agency, representing authors of books for children and young adults. Lipton is an attorney and a law professor, and author of Law & Authors: A Legal Handbook for Writers. For people who want to stop by and pay their respects, there will be a viewing of Sonny Mehta on Friday, January 3, from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM […]
Knopf Doubleday Chairman Sonny Mehta Dies at 77
Renowned chairman of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and editor-in-chief of Knopf Sonny Mehta died on Monday, December 30 of complications from pneumonia. He was 77. Plans for a memorial service will be announced. The company said in a statement, “Mehta’s contributions to the world of letters and publishing are without precedent. His exacting standards – in editorial, production, design, marketing, and publicity – were a beacon to the book industry and beyond. He was a friend to writers, editors, and booksellers around the world. Mehta was also a gentleman, uniquely so, who cared deeply about his colleagues and the […]
People, Etc.
Jessica Renheim and Toni Kirkpatrick have joined Crooked Lane Books and Alcove Press as acquisitions editors focusing on crime and book club fiction. In the Queen’s New Year’s Honors list, literary agent Felicity Bryan was given an MBE for services to publishing, and novelist Rose Tremain was made a Dame. Sourcebooks has acquired two adult mystery series, a YA trilogy, and a middle grade series from independent press Dunemere Books. They will relaunch them in 2020 and plan new titles for each series. Feminist writer and author of the 1998 book Life After Birth, Kate Figes, 62, died on December […]
Briefs
Journalist and novelist Ward Just, 84, died Thursday of Lewy body dementia. His novel Echo House was a National Book Award finalist and his novel An Unfinished Season was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2005. Romance novelist Johanna Lindsey, 67, died on October 27 in Nashua, NH. She wrote almost 60 novels that sold more than 60 million copies. PW named author Dav Pilkey as its “person of the year,” writing that “with sales of his Dog Man series skyrocketing in 2019, Pilkey is doing more to excite kids about reading than any author since J.K. Rowling.” The […]