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Quietly News apparently takes a back seat today as happy revelers prepare simultaneously for Bill of Rights Day, Hanukkah, and the opening of the Eragon movie. May you enjoy whichever you celebrate. Personnel News AOL Books editor and AOL’s Book Maven blogger e-mailed publishing community members to let them know that yesterday was her last day at AOL, due to the recently announced round of layoffs. Her new blog appears at http://thereadingwriter.typepad.com. At Adams Media, Jennifer Kushnier has been promoted to senior editor. At B&H Publishing, Karen Ball has been named senior editor of fiction, reporting to David Webb. A […]

Tis the Season For holiday letters from publishing CEOs to employees, celebrating the year’s accomplishments. Today’s dispatch comes from Simon & Schuster CEO Jack Romanos, where the Oprah-powered YOU: On a Diet (with 2.7 million copies in print, “the fastest selling hardcover in company history”) is helping to drive a merry end to what Romanos predicts will be “our best year ever in both sales and profits.” As of early next year, S&S will “begin construction on our Digital Archive, and we expect to have more than 12,000 titles in digital format by the end of the year. At the […]

Egen to Step Down Hachette Book Group announced yesterday that deputy chairman and US publisher Maureen Egen, 64, will step down from “active management” at the beginning of next year. She’ll spend approximately 6 months “represent[ing] HBG in the publishing community, bringing in top titles and helping the company as a market leader” and serving as a consultant to David Young before leaving the company in the summer. Egen comments in the announcement: “I have loved this company through all of my 16 years here, and it is a very good feeling to know that, with its new parentage, Hachette […]

Bloomsbury Warns of Bad Second Half Bloomsbury issued a profit warning after the close of markets in London yesterday, warning investors that earnings for the second half of their fiscal year could be as little as 1 million pounds — or about 16.5 million pounds short of what analysts were expecting. Today the market took its revenge, sending Bloomsbury shares down over 31 percent. What was billed in September as “the strongest autumn programme in our 20-year history” has turned into “lower than expected pre-Christmas sales in the retail trade combined with delays in reference rights sales budgeted for 2006.” […]

Pearson Picks Up Some Cash Pearson sold its Government Solutions unit to Veritas Capital for $560 million, plus $40 million in preferred stock and a continuing 10 percent share in the business, the WSJ reports (following an initial report in the FT). Pearson says they will use the proceeds to pay off debt and fund acquisitions. WSJ More on the Bible Business Similar to last week’s report on the bible business in the WSJ, the New Yorker does the story their way this week. The focus is on Thomas Nelson, where “bible sales increased more than fifteen per cent last […]

Deal Reports Just e-mail to deals@PublishersMarketplace if you aren’t using the online form linked below. Report a deal using the online form The Key As usual, the handy key to our Lunch deal categories. While all reports are always welcome, those that include a category will generally receive a higher listing when it comes time to put them all together. “nice deal” $1 – $49,000 “very nice deal” $50,000 – $99,000 “good deal” $100,000 – $250,000 “significant deal” $251,000 – $499,000 “major deal” $500,000 and up FICTION Debut Twenty-seven-year-old writer and former WMA assistant to Jay Mandel, Liza Monroy’s MEXICAN […]