The National Post reports that Canadian imprint Key Porter Books “is drastically downscaling its operations” dismissing a “reported 15 or so employees” yesterday and transferring others to parent company HB Fenn’s offices in Bolton, Ontario. The line is closing their Toronto office. Now-former head of special and corporate sales Paula Sloss tells the paper, “Business has been very challenging right across the board for all publishers right now. There was concern. But it was a shock that it happened today, and a shock that it was so abrupt.” As they write, Key Porter “has traditionally been strong in Canadian-oriented non-fiction.”Article
Personnel
People, Etc.
The Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association has hired Deborah Leonard as their new executive director, taking over from Jim Dana, who is retiring (and plans to work for the Peace Corps in Lesotho). Leonard was most recently a sales manager at Cengage Learning, and started her publishing career as a bookseller in Nashville, TN for ZIbart’s. Penguin UK digital publisher Jeremy Ettinghausen is leaving, to become a creative director at the advertising agency BBH. This year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade will include a Diary of a Wimpy Kid balloon. Copyright Clearance Center has expanded its European presence and opened a […]
Remembering Ralph Vicinanza
His agency has provided a formal obituary, which reads in part: “Ralph M. Vicinanza, literary agent, died suddenly at his home on Saturday, September 25, 2010. For over two decades, Vicinanza achieved worldwide recognition for his vision in opening the international marketplace for American authors, predominantly in the science fiction and fantasy genres. By discovering previously untapped markets for his clients’ work, Vicinanza carved out a large literary territory and dominated the field of foreign rights. “Vicinanza began his publishing career at the Scott Meredith Agency. It was there that three important things about the industry’s international scene became clear […]
People, Etc.
Margaret Raymo has elected to take the new position of senior executive editor, at Houghton Mifflin Children’s, a “purely editorial role” that will let her focus on discovering and working with authors and illustrators. Raymo says “I’m very happy to be able to put all my energy back into creating books.” As a result, Mary Wilcox has been promoted to vp, editorial director for Houghton Mifflin Children’s, while continuing as editorial director of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s. Abrams has hired Lindy Humphreys for the new position of director, digital assets and publishing technology, to “oversee our digital initiatives and help […]
Agent Ralph Vicinanza Dies
Clients of literary agent Ralph Vicinanza, 60, were reportedly notified by the agency this evening that he died suddenly in his sleep last night from a cerebral aneurysm. Locus Magazine has a brief report, and at least some clients have posted to Twitter as well. The agency reports that his family is having viewings on Wednesday the 29th from 7-9 PM and Thursday the 30th from 2-4 PM and 7-9 PM at McGrath & Son Funeral Home, 20 Cedar Road, Bronxville, NY. A mass will be held Friday, October 1 at 10:30 AM at St. Ann’s Church, 854 Midland Ave., […]
People, Etc.
Author, agent, film and television producer and publishing executive Stanley L. Colbert died on September 21 in Toronto, Canada. He was Sterling Lord’s original partner in the Lord & Colbert Agency (with Lord handling magazine sales and Colbert selling to book publishers). As an agent he found a home for Jack Kerouac’s ON THE ROAD after Robert Giroux couldn’t sort out the author’s second manuscript and sent him to Colbert. But Kerouac drove a falling out with Lord and Colbert became an editor at Henry Holt. He moved to LA in 1956 to head the literary department at the William […]