Saturday, January 13, 2018

Publishers Lunch


Today's Meal

At Folio Literary management, both Emily van Beek and Steve Troha have been made partners, joining Claudia Cross, Scott Hoffman and Jeff Kleinman.

At Workman,
Traci Todd will join as director of children's publishing, and Sara Corbett will become the new art director of children's publishing, both starting January 29. Todd was most recently editorial director of Appleseed and Abrams' children's licensed publishing. Corbett was most recently associate art director for Penguin Workshop. They take over following the great and terrible departure of Daniel Nayeri, Nathalie Le Du, and Colleen AF Venable in October to start a new imprint at Macmillan Children's.

At Sourcebooks, Valerie Pierce has been promoted to senior marketing manager.

Hachette UK head of digital George Walkley was promoted to the new, broader role of digital and development director, reporting to deputy ceo Richard Kitson. He will "oversee digital supply chain, drive digital initiatives on behalf of the group and provide support, infrastructure, advice and expertise to allow publishers to publish digital content effectively."

The Milo Chronicles
A modest update, that's about the little details rather than big case developments. The court has
published a transcript from a December conference among attorneys for Milo Yiannopoulos and Simon & Schuster, and Judge Barry Ostrager.

In one point, Judge Ostrager resists the plaintiff's effort for extensive discovery across the personal cellphones of 20 or more Simon & Schuster employees unless they pay for it. S&S has a "bring your own device environment" rather than issuing company phones, which means they do not control or have access to work-related texts and other communications on those devices. (Just as people learned from the Apple case to not email anything you wouldn't want to see exposed in court documents, the same is true now for text messages.)

The more minor detail, in which the judge also limits the plaintiff's ability to demand wide discovery of communications among a broad set of senior CBS executives, is Yiannopoulos's contention that "CBS people at the highest level of CBS were involved and consulted and participated in the termination of my client's publishing contract." (That includes ceo Leslie Moonves, and svp of communications Gil Schwartz. The publisher's attorney says, "The decision to terminate this contract was made by the chief executive of Simon & Schuster. Understandably, this was a huge thing at the time and she was reporting up to others and there were communications with CBS as you would in any corporation where you have a duty to report up. All those communications, whether to or from, have been produced



People, Etc.

Jason Rekulak has resigned as publisher of Quirk Books after 18 years with the company, effective immediately, to pursue his writing career and other creative projects. There will be a transition period through March, and the company "will explore a new relationship with Rekulak" thereafter. Quirk president Brett Cohen will take on the role and responsibilities of publisher as well, and the company will search for an editorial director. Owner and ceo of the parent company David Borgenicht notes, "with 17 years at Quirk Books, Brett is a seasoned publishing professional who has a deep understanding of our business as well as of our publishing and entertainment vision."

In other personnel news,
Sarah Stein has been promoted to senior editor at Penguin Books.

At Vintage/Anchor, Angie Venezia has been promoted to assistant director of publicity. In addition, Jessica Deitcher and Laura Chamberlain both move up to marketing manager.

Jake Eldred has been promoted to managing editor, Knopf Children's. Taking over his former position of associate managing editor for The Princeton Review imprint is Amanda Yee. She was an assistant managing editor at NYU Press.

At Tor/Forge/Tor Teen/Starscape, Theresa DeLucci has been promoted to associate director of marketing and Alexis Saarela has been promoted to associate director of publicity.

Brianna Yamashita, currently executive publicity & marketing director for TarcherPerigee will join Houghton Mifflin as marketing director, lifestyle & culinary, later this month.

Claribel Vasquez has been promoted to assistant manager of production for Random House Children's.

In Canada, Kelvin Kong left The Rights Factory, where he was an agent and rights manager, to launch
K2 Literary.

In author news, Hillbilly Elegy author JD Vance
told CNN (for which he is a contributor) that he is seriously considering challenging Sherrod Brown for his Senate seat in Ohio in the 2018 election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is said to have spoken with Vance about the possibility recently.

Imprints

Quarto will consolidate their adult UK imprints Aurum Press, Frances Lincoln, and Quintessence into a single imprint, White Lion Publishing. All books will begin publishing under the White Lion brand starting September 2018. The line will be led by group publisher Richard Green. Andrew Dunn, the publisher of Frances Lincoln, "has decided to use this opportunity to seek a new challenge and will leave Quarto."

Green said, "Since the summer, we have been conducting a full review of our UK-based trade imprints in the context of a challenging market. We're inspired by the bold move of launching a new, single imprint which will feed on our 40 years' experience while breaking down silos and embracing new ways of communicating with our target readers. White Lion Publishing will be a revolution in how we conceive, commission, make, market and sell books at Quarto."

The School of Life Press, based on writer and philosopher Alain de Botton's organization The School of Life, launches in February. Consortium will distribute the line in the US and Canada. The books will collect know-how of The School of Life in a series of practical titles.



Kristin Hannah's novel The Great Alone is the top pick for February's Library Reads List. The rest of the list comprises:

An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones
The French Girl, by Lexie Elliott
Force of Nature, by Jane Harper
Surprise Me, by Sophie Kinsella
Tarnished City, by Vic James
As Bright As Heaven, by Susan Meissner
How to Stop Time, by Matt Haig
Summer Hours at the Robbers Library, by Sue Halpern
Educated, by Tara Westover

No comments: