Personnel

Jack Jensen, who has been with Chronicle Books for 46 years, will step down from his position as president of the McEvoy Group this month. He will take the role of chair of the McEvoy Group advisory board, and he will continue to serve on the board of Abrams & Chronicle Books in the UK. Jensen joined Chronicle Books in 1977 as Western States sales rep when the company had six employees producing twelve titles per year, rising to president and publisher of Chronicle Books in 1991. In 2017, Tyrrell Mahoney was named president of Chronicle Books and Jensen served […]

Dawn Davis will return to Simon & Schuster as senior vice president and publisher of 37 Ink and executive editor of the Simon & Schuster imprint, starting in September. She will also join the S&S executive leadership team, reporting to Jonathan Karp. Davis was with S&S since 2013, and founded 37 Ink, before departing in 2020 to lead Bon Appétit and Epicurious as editor in chief. Davis said in the announcement, “I have enjoyed working with Condé Nast leadership and my team to rebuild the Bon Appétit brand. Together, we’ve created a culture where people feel respected, created spectacular content and world-class recipes, […]

Harmony Books and Rodale Books have announced multiple promotions to expand their leadership team, with Theresa Zoro promoted to president. Penguin Random House Publishing Group president Sanyu Dillon writes in a release, “Theresa is an innovative publishing strategist, and her extensive publicity, marketing, and consumer engagement expertise complements the existing team as we focus on category expansion. Her exceptional leadership, a lifelong passion for health and wellness, and a keen understanding of consumer behavior and community development will provide a fresh perspective, enabling us to reach more readers as we solidify Harmony Books and Rodale Books as the leaders in […]

Amazon will close its UK online bookselling arm Book Depository on April 26. The company told the Bookseller the decision was made “following a review across the company to prioritize what matters most to customers and the long-term health of our businesses.” In an email to publishers and vendors, head of vendor management Andy Chart said, “Over the coming weeks we will complete a winding down of the business, including discontinuing our listings as a marketplace seller and closing our website.” The company cited Amazon ceo Andy Jassy’s January announcement of continued cost-cutting and layoffs, totaling more than 18,000 eliminated […]

In an email to employees last week that was leaked online, Abrams announced modest layoffs and changes to their work from home policy. The email noted that “a number of positions were eliminated” and “some colleagues exited the company.” They wrote, “It’s clear that taking costs out of the company is critical to the health of Abrams. While we can’t predict the future with certainty, the intention is to take these measures all at once to prevent future reductions in staff.” The publisher confirmed that the email went out to employees, but would not elaborate on the record about the […]