Abrams announced a four-million-copy laydown for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days on Monday, October 12. And the publisher reports “more than 300,000 reservations” of copies. Separately, Hachette Book Group is expanding their distribution relationship with Chronicle Books (and Chronicle’s own roster of distribution clients) to include sales and distribution immediately in Latin America; and starting January 1 in the Middle East and Caribbean. In personnel news, Quill & Quire reported that Raincoast Books founder and ceo Allan MacDougall, 62, has stepped down. VP and business manager John Sawyer, “who had been handling most of the day-to-day operations for […]
Personnel
People and Awards
Simon & Schuster UK group sales & marketing director Charlotte Robertson is leaving to join Aitken Alexander as an agent next year. At Cengage Learning, Ron Mobed has been hired as president of the academic andprofessional group, effective immediately, reporting to ceo Ronald Dunn. Previous president Charles Siegel is retiring. The National Book Foundation named their new list of “5 Under 35“: Ceridwen Dovey, Blood KinC. E. Morgan, All the LivingLydia Peelle, Reasons for and Advantages of BreathingKaren Russell, St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by WolvesJosh Weil, The New Valley Ian Frazier won the Thurber Prize for American Humor […]
Wilson Leaves Headline After Just Five Months
After just five months as chief executive at the Headline group in the UK, Kate Wilson has left the company by “mutual agreement” according to a brief statement. Hachette UK adds that “after a period of consultation, a more detailed announcement will follow.” Wilson was supposed to be taking over from Martin Neild as he prepared to retire from the company in 2010. For now, deputy managing directors Jane Morpeth and Kerr MacRae will report to Neild again. In unrelated Hachette UK news, Jon Wood has been promoted to deputy group publisher, reporting to Malcolm Edwards in the new role–while […]
People and Awards: New Head for RH Mondadori, Harper's Chief Digital Officer, Also on the Gallery Editorial Team, and More
Following the previous announcement of the elevation of Random House Mondadori ceo Riccardo Cavallero to general manager of trade publishing at Mondadori (which is a joint venture partner in RH Mondadori), the owners have jointly named Nuria Cabuti, 42 as the unit’s new ceo, effective January 1, based in Barcelona. She has been publisher and editorial director of the Random House Mondadori Children’s and Paperback divisions. A letter from Random House ceo Markus Dohle and Mondadori Group chief executive Maurizio Costa notes that “as a publishing leader she has significantly improved our children’s books results, and increased our paperback revenues […]
People: New Head for Direct Brands, and More
Direct Brands, whose properties include the Bookspan book clubs, has named Deborah Fine as president and ceo. Fine had been president of iVillage Properties until late last year, after serving as ceo of Victoria’s Secret PINK. She takes over from Stuart Goldfarb, who resigned earlier this month. As Fine told the WSJ, “This is a business primed to be reinvented. It’s also safe to say we need to evolve online.” Fine explained further to us: “This business possesses five valuable currencies: content, channel, customer, commerce and community, which present significant opportunities to leverage them in new ways, with new tools, […]
People
Rebecca Gardner is joining The Gernert Company as its rights director. She was most recently vp and director of sub rights at the Random House Publishing Group. Kensington editor Kate Duffy, 56, died recently after a long illness. Among the many honors she received, Duffy won the Romance Writers of America’s inaugural Industry Award in 1991. Her long career as a romance editor included serving as founding editor of Silhouette Books and founder of Harlequin’s Worldwide Library imprint and Pocket’s Tapestry Books, while at Kensington she established Brava Books. A memorial service will be scheduled soon.