Swedish author Henning Mankell was among those on boats headed to the Gaza strip, and according to Agence France Press he is also one of nine Swedes now in Israeli custody following their attack on the flotilla. The wire service, which has been in touch with Sweden’s foreign ministry, says that the prisoners “have reportedly been given the choice” between deportation and a trial in Israeli court. Mankell had indicated in a statement before setting sail that he “was taking part in the flotilla to show his solidarity towards the Palestinian people.”AFP Rick Warren’s big fall book THE HOPE YOU […]
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Peternelle van Arsdale has left her position as executive editor at Putnam to become a ghostwriter and freelance editor. She can be reached at pva@pvabooks.com. Publishing executive John Wicker has joined Tata Consultancy Services as publishing sector head for North America in their media and information services group. A division of the giant Indian conglomerate, Wicker will focus on helping publishers manage the costs and complexities of conversion to a digital publishing world, leveraging Tata’s natural strengths to advise on quality outsourcing. At Random House Children’s, Shana Corey has been promoted to executive editor. She was previously editor-at-large. At Harper […]
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Tom Spain is now vp, editorial director at Simon & Schuster Audio. He will add oversight for their children’s audio program, oversee audio sub rights, and is working on creating “audio-based applications that take full advantage of all that evolving technologies and platforms have to offer.” At distributor NBN, director of rights and permissions for the Rowman & Littlefield group Clare Cox will now be available to work with clients to sell foreign rights on their behalf. Weldon Owen publisher and chief executive in Australia Sheena Coupe will retire in August after 25 years with the company. She will be […]
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Leigh Haber will work for Chronicle Books as an editor-at-large, acquiring and developing at least five books a year and focusing on wellness topics–spiritual, emotional, physical, personal and social–for the publisher’s lifestyle category. Haber will remain based in New Jersey. She is currently a consultant for companies including Blurb, and most recently was executive editor at Rodale. At Grand Central Publishing, Sara Weiss has been promoted to assistant editor. Susan Driscoll will become president and ceo of Wolters Kluwer Health, succeeding Gordon Macomber. In agency news, the Irene Skolnick Literary Agency will work with Lippincott Massie McQuilkin to sell and […]
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Liz Johnson is joining Thomas Nelson as the marketing specialist for the Max Lucado branding team. She worked in publicity for WaterBrook Multnomah for four years. NBN has taken over sales, marketing and distribution for city travel guide publisher Not For Tourists. They had been distributed by Langenscheidt.
UK's PFD Sold Again, to Talent Manager Backed by Matthew Freud
Beleaguered, once-proud UK agency PFD has been sold again, this time to agent Michael Foster, who will merge it with his three-person company MF Management and rename it The Rights House. (Foster’s founding investor, and the largest non-executive shareholder of the newly merged agency, is UK PR maven and son-in-law of Rupert Murdoch, Matthew Freud.) As a result, ten of the agency’s 32 staffers are reportedly going to lose their jobs. Caroline Michel, who was hired as chief executive of PFD in 2007 after previous management rebuffed efforts by core longtime agents to buy back the agency, remains as a […]