In advance of a formal reply to the court, former Penguin Canada ceo David Davidar’s attorney Peter Downard released a statement, saying “the public attacks require Mr. Davidar’s response.” Their story is that “Davidar had a consensual, flirtatious relationship that grew out of a close friendship with a colleague” and they imply that Rundle turned it into a dispute after he decided “their relationship should be confined to business.” Davidar says that in 2007 “their friendship became flirtatious” and he “suggested to Ms. Rundle that their relationship become more romantic.” The statement claims ebbs and flows in that flirtation, but […]
Personnel
People
Cecily Kaiser will join Abrams on July 6 in the new role of publishing director for children’s books for kids five-years-old and younger. Kaiser will be responsible for “conceptualizing, launching, and managing all aspects of this new initiative.” She has been at Scholastic for the last 10 years, most recently as editorial director in the trade division for Cartwheel and Little Scholastic. Megan Wilson has been promoted to senior publicity manager at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. She has worked in department for nine years. At Algonquin, Michael Taeckens will be promoted in October to director of online and paperback marketing. Kelly […]
People, Awards, Etc.
LAT book editor David Ulin is shifting roles and will serve as a book critic for the paper. Nothing was said about who will take over Ulin’s post.LAT Borders Group chief financial officer Mark Bierley will spend his extra time in the additional role of chief operating officer for Borders Inc., now overseeing finance, IT, merchandising planning and supply chain, as well as real estate and strategic planning. Rosalind (Roz) Thompson has been appointedsvp, human resources, starting July 6. Most recently she was a principal at Orange Hill Associates, an HR consultancy she established in 2007. Catherine Onder has joined […]
People
Nancy Conescu will join Dutton Children’s as executive editor on July 6, reporting to president Lauri Hornik. Most recently she was senior editor at Little, Brown Children’s. Canada’s BookRiff Media has hired Rochelle Grayson as CEO. Most recently, she was president of digital media agency Work at Play. A spin-off developed by D&M Publishers, BookRiff “allows consumers to mix content from virtually any source–published books, websites, and their own files–to build custom compilations called Riffs.”
People, Etc.
Canada’s McClelland & Stewart announced job cuts and changes in responsibilities, with president Doug Pepper writing that “our publishing program needs to be even more focused” so that the company is “prepared to meet the challenges of the future.” Executive editor Dinah Forbes, who led their mystery/crime program, is leaving after more than 20 years with the company, and an editorial assistant and office manager were also laid off. Pepper writes, “In our more than 100 years as publishers, M&S often has had to adjust to the changes in the industry and the market by staying ahead of them. This […]
Rundle's Legal Filing Alleges At Least One Prior Claim of Harrassment Against Davidar
Former Penguin Canada employee Lisa Rundle’s lawsuit against the company and former ceo David Davidar alleges that another employee had filed a sexual harassment complaint against Davidar with the human services department in 2008. Rundle alleges that Davidar showed her the other employee’s complaint, and said that the had “come to her senses” and recanted–after which she received a promotion. In the filing, Rundle says that in March 2010 she asked to be released from her position of director of digital publishing and foreign rights–to which she was promoted in January–so that she could stop reporting directly to Davidar and […]