Dara La Porte is leaving Politics and Prose, where she has managed the children’s and teen’s department for the past 11, to co-direct Literacy and Prose, a non-profit that brings authors and illustrators to schools. Transworld associate publicity director Laura Sherlock is leaving the company in order to “spend more time with her young family.” Her last day is June 8. Aflame Books, which devoted itself to publishing fiction in translation since, announced on its website last week that it ” has ceased trading and will no longer publish books,” after five years in business. They add, “we thank […]
Personnel
People, Etc.
At Random House UK division Cornerstone, Heinemann Jason Arthur has been appointed publisher, while Caroline Gascoigne, formerly Hutchinson publishing director, has been appointed to the newly-created role of publisher at large. Harvard Common Press titles will be distributed by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as of June 1. Bi Feiyu has won the Man Asian Literary Prize for his novel Three Sisters (HMH)Release Julian Barnes has won the David Cohen Prize for lifetime achievement in literature. Toronto mystery bookshop Sleuth of Baker Street will be leaving its longtime location on Bayview Avenue for a smaller location on 907 Milwood Road starting on March 19. Quill […]
People: Atlantic UK Cuts Five, and More
Atlantic UK has laid off five people as part of an internal restructuring. Commercial director Daniel Scott is leaving in June, while editorial director Sarah Castleton will exit in mid-April. Three additional jobs are being eliminated in the finance department. At McGraw-Hill, Brian Kibby has been appointed president of the Higher Education group, replacing Ed Stanford. Previously Kibby was SVP sales, marketing and business development for Pearson. Les Editions Albert René is now fully owned by Hachette Livre, which bought Sylvie Uderzo’s remaining 40% stake in the company. At Eerdmans, Franklin Goldberg has been promoted to director of sales. Katie Dunneback […]
People: O’Callaghan Resigns as HMH CEO, and More
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ceo Barry O’Callaghan resigned from the company today, though he will remain as a senior advisor. Current cfo Michael Muldowney will serve as interim ceo until a replacement is found. The news comes just a year after the once heavily-leveraged publisher significantly reduced more than $7 billion of debt taken on to acquire first Houghton Mifflin and then Harcourt’s US business in an effective takeover and restructuring by billionaire John Paulson’s hedge fund. Paulson & Co. bought up portions of the company’s distressed debt in order to control the refinancing and conversion to new equity. Callaghan, the […]
Agent Ed Knappman Dies
Edward Knappman, 67, died last week of an infection of unknown origin that proved resistant to antibiotic. He was president of New England Publishing Associates, a literary agency specializing in non-fiction books, where he worked from for over twenty years with his wife, Elizabeth Frost-Knappman. They retired in 2010 after selling their business to Roger Williams, Managing Director of the Publish or Perish Agency. Prior to 1990, Knappman was publisher and executive vice president of Facts On File.. There he initiated, planned and executed that company’s move from subscription services into reference book publishing, personally acquiring some 400 reference titles. […]
A Redesigned Boston Globe Books Section, and More People News
The Boston Globe’s redesigned books section will make its debut on Sunday, March 20, with several additions and changes to its columns, editor Nicole Lamy tells us. Amanda Heller and Barbara Fisher will no longer co-write the “Short Takes” capsule review column; Heller’s last piece appeared on March 6 and Fisher’s on March 13. Replacing them is Kate Tuttle, a freelancer who has contributed to The Washington Post, The Boston Phoenix, Babble and Salon. The Shelf Life column, previously written by Katherine Powers, is now called Word on the Street with a new writer in place. Two new columns – […]