Elsevier vice chairman Youngsuk “Y.S.” Chi has been named ceo of Elsevier’s Science & Technology Division, reporting to Reed Elsevier ceo Erik Engstrom. He takes over from division ceo Herman van Campenhout, who is leaving to run another Dutch company. “We wish Herman every success in his new job and thank him for his contributions,” said Reed Elsevier CEO Erik Engstrom. Agent Don Congdon, 91, died Monday at his home in Brooklyn. As the NYT notes in their obituary, he “spotted the talent of Ray Bradbury early in both their careers [and Bradberry remained his client from 1947 on] and […]
Personnel
Announcements: BEA to Focus on Spain, and More
Spain and Spanish publishing will be the focus of BEA’s Global Market Forum program in 2010. Programs will include a day of educational sessions, and BEA is “seeking cooperation with numerous literary and cultural institutions in New York City to provide programming which extends beyond the convention center and will be open to the public.” They say they are in discussions with the 92nd St. Y, the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, and others. The Ministry of Culture of Spain, the Federation of Spanish Publishers and the Spanish Trade Commission are partners in the Spanish exhibition. Separately, […]
People: Ammer to Leave Random, and More
Longtime Random House executive Bonnie Ammer has resigned as evp, international sales, effective December 31. That department reports to newly-appointed president of sales, operations and digital, Madeline McIntosh. Previously Ammer was publisher-at-large, after serving as president and publisher of Fodor’s and running the Random House Information Group. Markus Dohle writes in a memo, “I have tremendous respect and gratitude for all Bonnie has accomplished for Random House, accomplishments for which her colleagues throughout the company worldwide and throughout trade-book publishing here and abroad hold her in high regard.” Publishing whiz and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ceo Barry Callaghan has hired Eric […]
More Imprint News: Turner Launches His Own Line, and OR Books' First Paperback Partner
Nine years at a London conference called Publishing in 2010 we babbled on about how editors would become the focus of many small imprints (akin to Hollywood’s production companies), and now comes news of veteran editor Philip Turner funding and launching an eponymous imprint starting next year. Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group will “host” the Philip Turner Books line, which brings Turner back together with NBN president Rich Freese, who ran PGW when they distributed Carroll & Graf when Turner worked there. With no fixed number of titles a year, Turner intends to publish “when dynamic opportunities arise.” That first […]
People
Former Houghton Mifflin Harcourt director of field sales Paul Von Drasek has joined Capstone Publishers, which publishes children’s books for the educational market. He will lead the company’s planned expansion into the retail market. At Thomas Nelson, Russ Schwartz has been promoted to director, Christian independent retail sales, taking over from the recently-promoted Tom Knight. In the UK, Natalie Jerome was promoted to publishing director at Harper Non-Fiction, and Anna Valentine was promoted to senior commissioning editor. Author Colleen McCullough is due to have brain surgery in January in an effort to alleviate her trigeminal neuralgia, “an illness nicknamed the […]
Morpeth Rises At Headline; Job Cuts As Nonfiction is Reduced
The Headline Publishing Group has announced their new executive line-up following the departure of two key executives, but also indicated a strong shift away from nonfiction (following a tough year for such books in the UK) and unspecified job reductions as a result. Jamie Hodder-Williams officially takes over as chief executive of Hodder & Stoughton and Headline, reporting to Tim Hely Hutchinson and replacing the retiring Martin Neild. Current joint deputy managing director Jane Morpeth has been promoted to managing director of the Headline group, and she joins the board of Hachette UK. Fiction publishing director Marion Donaldson moves up […]