Stacy Lellos returns to Scholastic, as svp and general manager overseeing Klutz, reporting to Ellie Berger. Lellos has been vp of marketing at Toys R Us since 2013, prior to which she held a variety of publishing and marketing positions at Scholastic since 2000. Director of marketing and publicity at Soho Press Paul Oliver is launching Syndicate Books this fall as a sideline, focused on out-of-print mysteries and crime fiction. Soho will distribute his line (and they are distributed by Random House), and he aims to publish 5 to 10 titles a year, starting with Ted Lewis’s Get Carter (originally called Jack’s Return […]
Personnel
Grand Central Absorbs Business Plus, Wolff Exits
Grand Central confirmed publicly on Thursday that one of the three veteran editors laid off last week as part of Hachette Book Group’s restructuring was Rick Wolff, publisher and editor-in-chief of their Business Plus imprint, which he founded in 2000. The imprint will be discontinued, the company announced, with all titles scheduled to be published from fall 2014 onward integrated back into GCP’s main list. “The strong tradition of business book publishing will continue at GCP,” the company said. As it turns out (after we asked), the companion line Business Plus UK was already absorbed previously into Headline’s main list. Grand Central president and publisher […]
People: Mundy Resigns from Atlantic Books
The UK’s Atlantic Books announced Thursday that founder, ceo and publisher Toby Mundy has resigned from the company after 14 years, and will leave on June 30. He said in the announcement, “Everything must come to an end and I feel sure that the time is right to pursue new adventures in this exciting, unpredictable industry. Our authors could not be in better hands and I look forward to toasting their future triumphs.” Atlantic “will announce plans for his replacement in due course.” Allen & Unwin purchased a majority stake in the company in January after a few years of significant […]
People
Simon & Schuster vp, business information and data operations Helene Green died Tuesday after a long illness. She began her publishing career at Macmillan in 1987 and joined S&S’s children’s division, responsible for inventory, in 1994 upon the acquisition of the company (which owned Scribner), after which she moved over to the supply chain division. Green also represented S&S on various AAP and BISG committees. VP, business operations Frank Nunez said: “Helene will be remembered as a consummate colleague: knowledgeable, passionate about the work we do and eager to do a good job, loyal to her staff and a great teacher to […]
People, Etc.
President and director of paperback sales at Penguin Norman Lidofsky will retire at the end of 2014 after more than 32 years with the company. In a staff memo, Penguin Random House president and coo Madeline McIntosh praised Lidofsky’s “sales leadership, book passion, and dedication” and called him “a generous and thoughtful colleague, an inspiring leader, and above all—a consummate salesman working unceasingly in support of Penguin’s books, authors, and publishers.” McIntosh added: “[Lidofsky] has led the way in building the trade paperback program into an industry force… He has helped to keep Penguin Classics vibrant, sustaining its presence as one of […]
People
After nine months as interim head of Columbia University Press, Jennifer Crewe has officially been named as president and director. Provost John Coatsworth said in the announcement: “Jennifer’s notable strengths as an editor and administrator, as well as her deep understanding of the Press’ history, made her the clear choice of the faculty-led search committee. She has taken steps to increase the reach, visibility and effectiveness of the Press, developed new strategies to expand capacity and improve book schedules, and negotiated an agreement for the Press to distribute Woodrow Wilson Center books.” She has worked at the Press for 28 years. […]