Barnes & Noble announced on Monday afternoon that they hired Demos Parneros, 54, as chief operating officer, reporting to Len Riggio, who is now referred to as “chairman and CEO of Barnes & Noble.” Parneros “will work closely with Mr. Riggio on all aspects of company operations including stores, merchandising, e-Commerce, systems and real estate.” He was president, North American stores & online for Staples until late 2012 (so as with the fired ceo Ron Boire, who came to BN from Sears Canada, they are looking to another non-book bricks and mortar retailer). He is a member of the board at Keycorp, […]
Personnel
People
Kelly Joseph will join McClelland & Stewart on December 5 in the newly-created position of publishing manager, reporting to Jared Bland. In her new role, Joseph will will undertake the development of a new publishing initiative for fiction in translation, and take on administration of the division’s poetry program. Joseph spent the past eight years at House of Anansi Press, serving most recently as managing editor, and helped develop their French-language imprint Arachnide. In addition, M&S senior editor Jenny Bradshaw will now report to Bland, working closely with him and Martha Kanya-Forstner to shape the non-fiction program. Obituaries Simon & Schuster […]
People, Etc.
At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Audrey Gibbons has been promoted to senior publicist. Recipients were announced for the second round of $1.75 million in grants that James Patterson is providing to school libraries across the country, working in partnerships with Scholastic Reading Club, which matches the grants with points for classroom materials purchases. 452 schools are receiving funds from the latest grants. Patterson says in the announcement: “We’ve just come out of the most divisive presidential election in history—and among all the issues that captivated voters, education wasn’t one of them. It was hardly discussed. Nearly half of the American […]
People: Besser and Borland Promoted
At Putnam Children’s, publisher Jen Besser has been promoted to president as well, reporting to Penguin Children’s president Jen Loja — who writes that Besser “has continually wowed us with her keen publishing sensibility, and her ability to find the best books for every kind of reader.” Loja adds, “Her perfect balance of believing in what she does deeply but also being able to see the fun and the humor in what we all do, not only makes her a valuable leader, but also a delight to have in the senior management of the group.” At Atria Books and Washington Square Press, […]
People: Gibson to Grove Atlantic, and More
George Gibson, whose job as publishing director at Bloomsbury US is being eliminated, will join Grove Atlantic as executive editor in January. CEO Morgan Entrekin says in the announcement that “everyone at Grove Atlantic is thrilled.” He notes, “George is admired here and around the world as a brilliant, gracious, passionate publisher and editor. His independent publishing experience at David Godine, Walker and Bloomsbury makes him a perfect fit for us. In addition, George is a longtime friend and I’m excited to welcome him as a colleague.” Gibson adds, “I have such longstanding admiration for Morgan and his colleagues, for the […]
People: Hoffman to Succeed Makinson as Penguin Random House Chairman
Penguin Random House chairman John Makinson will retire on December 31 after three and a half years at the position and more than 15 years with Penguin and PRH. He will be succeeded by Philip Hoffman, formerly chief corporate finance and strategic development officer at Pearson, on January 1, 2017. Hoffman has served on the PRH board of directors since the company’s inception and has been chairman of the audit committee. Bertelsmann chairman and ceo Thomas Rabe said of Hoffman in the announcement: “From the beginning, he has closely supported Penguin Random House’s development as an equally expert and responsible advisor. […]