The second book on Mark Zuckerberg’s 2015 reading list is Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature (Viking/Penguin). “It’s a timely book about how and why violence has steadily decreased throughout our history, and how we can continue this trend,” Zuckerberg writes. At 832 pages, Zuckerberg and Facebook friends will take four weeks to read the book instead of two — but he will “add a third book in two weeks that will be a shorter read to complement this.” Karyn Marcus will rejoin Simon & Schuster as senior editor on February 2. (She worked there from 2011 to 2013, before leaving to work for […]
Personnel
People, Etc.
Jessica Preeg has rejoined St. Martin’s as senior publicist. In addition, Christy D’Agostini has been promoted to publicity manager. At Knopf Books for Young Readers, Stephen Brown has been promoted to assistant editor. Alexander Czik has joined Crown as a data marketing analyst. Previously he was an analyst at DigitasLBi, a marketing and technology agency. At Penguin Random House, Linda Cowen has been promoted to svp, associate general counsel and Marlene Glazer has been promoted to vp, associate general counsel. Tyndale House announced it will stop selling THE BOY WHO CAME BACK TO HEAVEN by Todd Malarkey and his father, Kevin, after Malarkey […]
People, Etc.: ICM to Represent Crichton
ICM is now representing rights to “the majority of titles” written by the late Michael Crichton (including most of his best-known novels, with the exception of Jurassic Park). Sloan Harris and Jennifer Joel will lead representation on the literary side, and the agency says it will “work closely with Sherri Crichton and licensees of rights licensed in Michael Crichton’s work to broaden the reach of his stories, worlds, characters and brands across all media.” There is work for potential posthumous publication and exploitation as well. ICM says it will also focus on “the exploration of Crichton’s heretofore unknown and unpublished works […]
People, Etc.: Franzen Interview to Open BEA
Book Expo America’s opening event will feature author Jonathan Franzen interviewed by Salon book critic Laura Miller, on May 27 at 12 PM (an hour before the show floor opens; this year the trade exhibition runs for two and a half days). This will be Franzen’s first event to discuss his new novel PURITY, which FSG will publish in September. The conversation will include “a discussion of the author’s writing [and] the important influences in his life” as well. Nonfiction publisher at Pan Macmillan Jon Butler is leaving the company at the end of the month to join Quercus as managing director, with current […]
Big Changes at Penguin Publishing Group: Tart Takes Over Viking As Ferraro Leaves, Putnam and Dutton Combine, Hudson Street & Gotham Close
Having taken over as president of newly-formed Penguin Publishing Group in September, Madeline McIntosh has moved quickly to reshape that group through “several major organizational alignments, leadership changes, and promotions.” McIntosh notes to staff in a lengthy memo that “wide-ranging” reorganization “was a lot to absorb, but I hope that you will value being able to see the total picture all at once. I am delighted that these changes will provide new opportunities for growth for so many of our existing colleagues, and that they will set us up perfectly to continue to provide the very best service to our authors and […]
People, Etc.
Rachel Meier has been named to the newly created position of publishing manager for Crown, Crown Archetype, Hogarth, Broadway, Three Rivers Press, and Tim Duggan Books. Ami Webster McConnell has joined Howard Books as vp, editor in chief. Most recently she was senior acquisitions editor for fiction at Harper Christian and helped launch the fiction program at Thomas Nelson. Michael Eisenberg has joined the book publishing group at Highlights in the newly created role of director, book marketing, reporting to Jack Perry, after consulting with the company for the past five years. Previously he was svp, co-publisher of Farrar, Straus & Giroux […]