PEOPLE
November has been a month of moves, the most talked about being Riverhead Co-Publishers Julie Grau and Cindy Spiegel move from Penguin to Doubleday and the subsequent promotion of Sean McDonald to Executive Editor. He was previously Senior Editor and Online Creative Director.
HarperCollins announced Justin Loeber has been appointed SVP, Executive Director of Marketing and Publicity for Regan Media, beginning on January 3, 2006, and reporting to Judith Regan. He was VP and Director of Publicity at S&S for Atria Books and Washington Square Press. PR Director Paul Crichton recently left. Atria’s VP, Deputy Publisher, Karen Mender is also leaving at the end of the year to explore new avenues of interest. She may be reached at 212.879.2928 or kmender1@nyc.rr.com
Michelle Lewy has been named Director of Trade Sales at Globe Pequot. She was most recently at Spier NY and previously VP of Sales and Marketing for the Mass Market division at Scholastic. Michelle Patterson has been hired as Director of Marketing. She had been at Random House and Wiley.
Louise Burke has named Anthony Ziccardi as VP, Deputy Publisher of Pocket Books, replacing Liate Stehlik, who went to Avon as SVP Publisher. He was SVP Director of Sales and Marketing for the Random House Publishing Group. Following Stehlik’s move, Darlene DeLillo has left Avon, where she was Associate Publisher.
Brian Belfiglio has been named Marketing Director at Workman. He was Publicity Director at Crown. Yuji Takeda has been named CEO of Random House Kodansha, effective January 1, 2006. He was Managing Director of the Tuttle-Mori Agency and succeeds Yoshitaka Kenno.
Donna Passannante, Director of Author Promotions at B&N, has joined Random House as Director of Marketing for the Crown Publishing Group. She was at B&N sixteen years. Karen Patterson, also a veteran, left recently for Random to become VP, Director of Sales. In her new position she will be primarily responsible for the Barnes & Noble account.
David Rosen joins The Martinière Group as VP, Editorial Director for Abrams and Abrams Image, effective December 12. In this newly created position, he takes over the day-to-day management of the Abrams adult editorial group and is responsible for the shape and scope of the adult publishing list. Rosen was at Bookspan.
Public Affairs Publicity Director Gene Taft has left for Washington DC and may be reached, appropriately, at GeneTaftDC@aol.com.
In children’s publishing, Andrea Davis Pinkney joined Scholastic as VP, Publisher, Hardcover and Early Childhood; Pinkney was most recently VP, Publisher, Houghton Mifflin. Catherine Daly has joined as Editorial Director, Paperbacks, reporting to Craig Walker, who was recently promoted to SVP. . . HarperCollins Children’s Books has hired Sandee Roston as VP Executive Director of Publicity. Roston came from Avalon Publishing where she served as Associate Publisher.. . . Disney Publishing his hired former Miramax executive Lola Bubbosh for the cross-divisional position of executive editor, publishing and film … Karen Sargent has been named Executive Editor, Simon Spotlight. She begins her new position on December 1, 2005. Sargent comes to S&S from Sesame Workshop. Orly Sigal has joined S&S as Marketing Manager, Simon Spotlight Entertainment and Teen Paperbacks. She was previously at Atria Books.
Michelle Howry has joined Time Warner’s new lifestyle imprint Springboard Press — targeted to baby boomers in search of a high-quality lifestyle, self-satisfaction, reinvention of self and career and ways to look and feel younger — as senior editor. She was a senior editor at Perigee. . . . Central Park Media (CPM) has appointed Ali T. Kokmen as Director of Book Sales. Kokmen was formerly the Sales and Marketing Manager for HarperCollins’ Collins Design imprint. Prior to that, he served as Marketing Manager for Watson-Guptill.
Dana Adkins has joined the Santana-Tatsuuma Media International Literary Agency. She has over 30 years experience as a book editor at Viking Penguin, Houghton Mifflin, and Reader’s Digest.
At Adams Media, Jeanne Emanuel has been hired as executive director of sales, overseeing sales into the trade, wholesale, and specialty retail channels. She was Director of Business Development at Workman. Jennifer Kushnier has joined as single title Acquisitions Editor. She was at Rodale.
Plume Publicity Director Brant Janeway has left Penguin and Executive Editor Joe Blades is leaving Ballantine.
At Henry Holt, Sarah Knight has joined the company as Editor, adult trade. She was at Scribner. . . . At Thunder’s Mouth, Anita Diggs joined the company in mid-November as Senior Editor. Her most recent editorial position was at Ballantine’s One World Books, and she was an agent at The Literary Group.
Laurele Riipa, has moved to Rodale as Publishing Coordinator in the book division, reporting to VP Publisher, Liz Perl. Previously she was Managing Editor, Announcements at PW.
Peter Jovanovich, a Republican (and previously CEO of Pearson Education) lost his bid for Rye City Council in the November 8 elections.
PROMOTIONS
Sharyn Rosenblum has been promoted to Senior Director of Media Relations for William Morrow. She joined William Morrow 11 years ago.
Molly Stern has been promoted to Executive Editor of Viking Penguin. Earlier this summer, Stern was promoted to mother of Zachary Stern Mandel (father is Jay Mandel of the William Morris Agency) born on July 17.
Keith Wallman has been promoted from Associate Editor to Editor, Carroll & Graf.
Globe Pequot’s senior publicist Jane Reilly has been named publicity manager.
Sonali Fry has been promoted to Editorial Director, Little Simon and Little Simon Inspirations. She was formerly Executive Editor, Simon Spotlight. Julia Richardson has been promoted to Editorial Director, Paperback Books. Jen Klonsky has been promoted to Executive Editor, Paperback Books. Emily Fischer has been promoted to Senior Editor, Simon Spotlight. She was formerly Editor.
DECEMBER EVENTS
Meanwhile, the Eighteenth Independent and Small Press Book Fair will take place December 3-4 at The Small Press Center, 20 West 44 Street. There will be workshops, panels, and readings. Publishers can still register to exhibit. For information email info@smallpress.org or go to www. smallpress.org.
DULY NOTED
The Small Press Center’s 20th Anniversary Celebration and Benefit took place on November 30th . This year’s recipient of the Ben Award was given to Peter Workman, by Steve Riggio. CBS’s Mario Bosquez was the evening’s host.
Books for a Better Life announced its finalists on Nov. 30 (www.msnyc.org) and highlighted the list of those to be honored st its February 27 gala. At this tenth annual event Jane Brody, Larry Kirshbaum, Teri Garr, Suze Orman and Rodale will all be honored. Meredith Vieira will once again emcee and USA Today has signed on as a partner.
Also celebrating its tenth year, Borders announced the nominees for its 2005 Original Voices Awards on November 29. The awards will be announced on January 19. In addition to a $5,000 prize and a ceremony during the 2006 BookExpo America convention, the winners’ works will be prominently displayed in the more than 470 Borders Books and Music stores nationwide, with a mention in Borders This Month, the monthly shopping guide, which will offer a 20% discount the month the titles are featured.
And from The Colbert Report With Stephen Colbert:
“NASCAR has entered into a licensing agreement allowing Harlequin to publish steamy novels with racing themes, with titles like Into The Groove and Dangerous Curves. “This is a terrible idea. NASCAR is one of the final frontiers of male bonding, where the love of speed and horrible car accidents draws men together to drink beer and high-five. Hey Harlequin, we don’t drive racecars through your wildflower meadows. Don’t put Fabio in our firesuits.”
MAZEL TOV
Jane Dystel announced the healthy arrival of partner Miriam Goderich‘s baby, Henry James Farkas, born November 9 at 8:41 AM, weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces.
IN MEMORIAM
There will be a memorial service for literary agent Fifi Oscard, who died on November 12, on Friday, December 9th at 4:00 at the Cosmopolitan Club. Donations may be made to the Mercantile Library, 17 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017.