In the UK, longtime head of Random UK’s Century Mark Booth has resigned after 21 years at the imprint. He says in the announcement, “I’ve had a wonderfully happy twenty one years, but I think I’ve done as much as a chap can do. I pride myself on being a bit unpredictable and I hope that the plans I am going to reveal shortly will raise a few eyebrows.” Susan Sandon adds “Mark understandably has not yet revealed all of his immediate plans but writing, journalism and other publishing projects will no doubt form part of his portfolio.” Arrow publishing […]
Personnel
The Galassi Interview
The latest in Jofie Ferrari-Adler’s series of interviews for Poets & Writers is with Farrar, Straus president and publisher Jonathan Galassi, “who got where he is, in part, by being one of the most gentlemanly editors in the business.” Among the things he learned while working at Random House (from 1981 to 1986): “I learned some other lessons that were not so nice. It wasn’t a collegial place. People really didn’t wish each other well, which I wasn’t used to. But looking back on it I think it was a difficult situation that I could have responded to differently. I […]
New Appointments at Ingram, and Other Announcements
Following the broad merging of Ingram’s units into a single integrated Content Group, ceo David “Skip” Prichard has named Ingram executive Phil Ollila as chief content officer. He will oversee publisher services, comprising Lightning Source, CoreSource, the marketing group, and their distribution operation, Ingram Publisher Services. Lightning Source president David Taylor will be responsible for all publisher content acquisition activities, and Mark Ouimet becomes general manager of Ingram Publisher Services. Shawn Everson will serve as chief commercial officer, leading their businesses focused on library and retail channels. Rich Rosy will take over the library businesses, including Ingram Library Services, MyiLibrary, […]
People and Announcements
Borders continues the tradition of bolstering their executive team with people from outside of publishing. They have hired Arthur Keeney as svp of marketing, starting at the end of June, reporting to Anne Kubek. He was general manager for eight years at Harold Friedman, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based grocery store chain, and previously worked with Borders ceo Ron Marshall at grocer Nash Finch. Among the areas he will oversee is Borders.com, where he will run a search “for a new leader at the vice president level.” Rich Fahle is moving from that role to the new position of vp creative, outreach […]
Freese to Take Over At NBN; Tamblyn Leaves BookNet for Shortcovers
Rich Freese will take over from Jed Lyons as president of NBN as of July 6, working out of Oakland, CA. Lyons will “focus on the book publishing activities of NBN’s parent company, The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group.” (The release says NBN had sales of $100 million, and R&L had sales of $60 million.) Most recently Freese had launched a new distribution enterprise for BookMasters, though he worked at NBN in the late 90s and through 2002. Lyons says in the announcement “Rich Freese is the most knowledgeable, thoughtful, and creative person I know in the book distribution business.” […]
People
Random House UK ceo Gail Rebuck was made a Dame on the Queen’s Birthday Honors List (her husband is already a Lord). In annual income disclosures, Senator Ted Kennedy reported that he was paid $2 million as an advance (presumably only the first part) for his memoir in 2008. (The full price was reportedly about $8 million.) This week’s New Yorker profiles Nora Roberts, “America’s most popular novelist”–whom the magazine explains to its readers is like “the Raymond Carver of romance,” at least in her “choice of milieu.” (They note that the Times Book Review has reviewed just one of […]