NYT Book Review editor and essayist Rachel Donadio announced via e-mail that she is leaving TBR to work as the Times’ bureau chief in Rome, starting this fall.Observer item
Personnel
Kay Ryan, "Outsider Who Revels in Wordplay," Next Poet Laureate
Winner of “a carriage full of poetry prizes for her funny and philosophical work, including awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and in 1994, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, worth $100,000,” Kay Ryan, 62, will be appointed to succeed Charles Simic as the country’s 16th poet laureate today. (She takes the post in the fall.) NEA chairman Dana Gioia calls her the “thoughtful, bemused, affectionate, deeply skeptical outsider.” Ryan jokes with the Washington Post: “I thought I might take it upon myself to prevent all bad poetry from being published during my reign.” She explains […]
Getlin Among Those Leaving LAT
New York-based publishing beat reporter Josh Getlin is among those leaving the Los Angeles Times as part of a combination of buyouts and layoffs that aims to reduce the staff by approximately 150 people in the newsroom. Last week, LA Observed noted that “the last standalone Sunday Book Review-slash-Opinion section will run in the Times on July 27. After that, books coverage will be in Calendar.” There was no specific word on whether the amount of books space would decline as a result. But now the blog adds that “Sara Lippincott was an assistant editor of the Los Angeles Times […]
Borland Promoted
At Atria, Peter Borland has been promoted to editorial director. The entire department will report to Borland except for Emily Bestler and the members of the executive editorial director’s office. Borland and Bestler will both report to publisher Judith Curr. Curr writes: “Peter joined Atria in 2004 as senior editor and since then has distinguished himself both as an excellent acquiring editor and a thoughtful, conscientious manager. He has long served as a resource and sounding board for his colleagues in day-to-day business matters and his new title will allow him to take on a more formal role shaping our […]
Baker & Taylor Changes Book Merchandise Buying
Baker & Taylor has announced a “paradigm shift to category buying” to serve customers better “and respond to market changes.” EVP of merchandising and president, retail markets David Cully says: “The Merchandise Buyer function focuses on leveraging category expertise as a sales advantage in the retail and library markets. Likewise, the Merchandise Planner function focuses on data mining and statistical modeling to improve forecasting and reduce friction in the supply chain.. SVP merchandising Jean Srnecz will supervise both the divisional Merchandising directors [Allen Johnson: basics (nonfiction), Sally Neher: fashion (key new releases and Speedstock), Rick Shalayda: children’s and small press, […]
Personnel News
In the Dutton and Gotham publicity department, Beth Parker has been promoted to associate publicity director and Amanda Walker has been promoted to publicity manager.