It seems that a number of good journalists and publications are going to waste a lot of energy raking through gossip about the late Dick Robinson and current controlling owner and chair of Scholastic, Iole Lucchese. The pretense is to inform about what might happen next at the venerated children’s publisher: “Now there may be a showdown brewing over billions of dollars in kids’ fare,” Vanity Fair puts it in the teaser for the latest version of the story, appearing in their April issue. But the claim is disingenuous since there is, and has been, no news or updates about […]
Personnel
People: Weil to Focus on Editing at Liveright; Simon Named EIC
Liveright editor-in-chief and publisher Robert Weil will shift out of a managerial role as of July 1, to acquire and edit books as vp, executive editor. Peter J. Simon, vp and editor in Norton’s college department, will become Liveright’s editor-in-chief. Chairman and president Julia Reidhead said, “When Bob Weil accepted the challenge of reviving Liveright, we at Norton were confident that he would make good things happen, but we could never have anticipated the scope of successes that have come to pass under his visionary leadership. He has reinvented Liveright while keeping it true to its storied past. Now, with Bob […]
Obituaries: Jason Epstein Dies At 93
Editor and innovator Jason Epstein, 93, died on Friday at home on Sag Harbor, his daughter Helen Epstein confirmed to the NYT. Creator of Anchor Books when he was 25, longtime editorial director at Random House, and co-creator of The New York Review of Books and the Library of America, the NYT calls him “the editor, author and publishing visionary who introduced the quality paperback to American readers.” As the paper notes, “He officially retired in 1999 but continued to edit books into his 80s.” Penguin Random House said in a statement: “We mourn the passing of our extraordinary, pathfinding […]
PRH Realigns and Expands Sales Teams, Consolidating Children’s While Adding Dedicated Client Reps
Penguin Random House announced a “realignment and expansion” of portions of its sales force, focused on bolstering their independent bookstore selling teams in particular, bringing together sales across all their children’s lines into unified teams, and creating new rep groups dedicated to selling PRH Publisher Services client publishers to indie stores. The initiatives include “adding new field-rep positions, realigning publisher responsibilities, and building new programs to further deepen its partnership with bookstores, and strengthen their education and community outreach.” President, US Sales Jaci Updike says in the announcement, “The account sales call has changed dramatically in the last couple of […]
People: Futter Takes Over At Celadon As Raab Steps Down
Celadon Books co-founder and president Jamie Raab is stepping down, and will take on the new role of publisher-at-large, Macmillan Publishers. She will acquire books across all imprints as well as work on strategic initiatives. She will also edit the books she currently has under contract at Celadon. Co-founder Deb Futter becomes president and publisher at Celadon, and Futter and Raab both report to Macmillan president Jon Yaged. Reporting to Futter are Rachel Chou, Ryan Doherty, Anne Twomey, Bill Hamilton and Randi Kramer. Yaged writes that Raab said to him, “It’s been exciting to watch Celadon meet and exceed our initial expectations. As the world […]
People: Desser to Leave Random House
SVP and editor in chief at Random House Robin Desser “has decided to leave…to pursue her dreams,” effective April 1, publisher Andy Ward announced. “This news is bittersweet, but after talking to Robin, I fully appreciate and support her choice.” He notes, “she’ll continue to work with some of her, and our, cherished authors.” Desser moved to Random House in early 2020, after a long tenure at Knopf. She said: “I am profoundly grateful to my authors, and to my treasured colleagues both here and around the world for the privilege, pleasures, and joys I have been lucky to experience […]