Former svp and executive director of publicity and public relations at the Bantam Dell Publishing Group Barb Burg has launched a new company, barb burg ink, offering publicity, public relations, media training, media placement, publishing strategy and brand management services. Endeavor agents Kirby Kim and Rebecca Oliver and subrights manager Laura Bonner will join the merged WME Entertainment, according to the Observer. Australian author Christos Tsiolkas won the overall Commonwealth Writers’ Award for best book for THE SLAP, “about middle-class suburban Australia and its notions of child-rearing and acceptable behavior.” Pakistani author Mohammed Hanif won the best first book award […]
Personnel
People
Josalyn Moran will join Chronicle as children’s publishing director, officially starting June 10 though also attending BEA with the company. Moran is charged with “overseeing and spearheading the growth” of the company’s children’s line, encompassing both books and “innovative formats.” She has been vp, children’s books at Barnes & Noble for the past nine years (and was associate publisher at North-South Books before working at the bookseller). The ABA membership formally ratified Michael Tucker of Books Inc. as president and Becky Anderson as vice president/secretary.
Red Wheel Partners with Hampton Roads, and People News
Red Wheel/Weiser and Hampton Roads Publishing are joining forces as of June 1 in what is being called a distribution relationship but also “a joint operating agreement” according to Red Wheel president Michael Kerber. (Both lines are already warehoused at Books International.) Kerber notes “we’re also combining forces for several back office functions — eliminating duplication on the operations, accounting, and production side.” The companies say they will operate primarily from Red Wheel’s offices in Newburyport and San Francisco. Greg Brandenburgh will oversee the Hampton Roads part of the endeavor, based in San Francisco, and the imprint will publish a […]
More People and Announcements
At Penguin, Emily Beth Rapoport has been promoted to associate editor for Berkley. Former head of Random House Children’s books, and founder of Lookybook Craig Virden, 56, died yesterday of a pulmonary embolism. Bill Hill, “the driving force behind ClearType” at Microsoft and an early member of their electronic books team under Dick Brass, is leaving the company–and may have been laid off. Hill writes on his blog, “I’ve become convinced over the past couple of years that no one company or browser will make the transition to reading on screen happen. I still believe in eBooks. Amazon has definitely […]
More Changes at S&S Children's
Recently-appointed president and publisher of the Simon & Schuster Children’s division Jon Anderson announced “a number of transitions and consolidations,” reminding employees that “it is incumbent that we are structured in a way that maximizes our opportunities to publish vigorously and with our customary flair, while at the same time reflecting the realities of today’s marketplace.” Publisher of the Atheneum and Margaret K. McElderry imprints Emma Dryden will step down to an “advisory role” in which she will still edit authors including Ellen Hopkins, Karma Wilson and Alan Katz, while deputy publisher for Little Simon and Simon Spotlight Frank Totaro […]
People and Awards
Kate Davis has been promoted to associate editor for Putnam and Marian Wood Books, where she has been “deeply involved in Marian’s entire list.” At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Laura Antonacci has been promoted to marketing associate, education and library. Other PEN award winners include Steve Coll’s THE BIN LADENS for nonfiction,and author of Knockemstiff Donald Ray Pollock for the $35,000 Robert Bingham fellowship for writers.Site list The National Book Foundation presented Innovations in Reading prizes to five recipients, including James Patterson’s ReadKiddoRead.com and the readergirlz blog.