The Puzzlers

Games and puzzles publishers make their next moves. Plus, what comes after sudoku?

Laura Hazard Owen | August 2009

When the sudoku craze swept the country in 2005, AdAge questioned whether it was the “Rubik’s cube for the 21st century” but also pointed out that it had been around in various versions for thousands of years. Its modern guise was invented by an American architect, Howard Garns; his “Number Place” ran in Dell Pencil [...]

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Bookview, August 2009

August 2009

PEOPLE ROUNDUP Rodale CEO Steve Murphy is leaving the company and will be replaced by Maria Rodale, who also continues in her role as Chairman of the Board. Don Linn, SVP and Publisher of the Taunton Press, is leaving to launch a digital publishing house, Quartet Press. Linn will have principal responsibility for Quartet Press’ [...]

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PEOPLE ROUNDUP Broadway’s Editor-in-Chief Stacy Creamer will join Simon & Schuster as VP and Publisher of Touchstone Fireside, reporting to Free Press Publisher Martha Levin. The two lines “will have independently functioning editorial and publishing staffs,” according to the announcement….Current T/F Publisher Mark Gompertz takes on the new role of EVP, Digital Publishing. He and [...]

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Book View, February 2009

February 2009

PEOPLE There are so many changes to report this month that we are highlighting only some of the moves and, where available, contact information. Rebecca (Becky) Saletan has been appointed Editorial Director of Riverhead, reporting to Publisher Geoff Kloske. She was most recently SVP and Publisher of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Her appointment is effective March [...]

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Book View, November 2008

November 2008

PEOPLE Doubleday has eliminated 16 positions across all of the group’s imprints, in the editorial, marketing, publicity, art, and ad promo departments. Those leaving include editor Jennifer Josephy; Janet Silver, Nan Talese, Editor at Large; and from Spiegel & Grau, senior editor Tina Pohlman, Director of Publicity Gretchen Koss, Director of Marketing Megan Walker, and [...]

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Barnes & Noble’s first forays into the publishing business back in the ’40s (when it put out a series of college study guides) and in 1991 (when Len Riggio started publishing under the B&N name) came to pass with little outcry from the industry. As publishers expanded their markets to include non-traditional outlets, Riggio’s response [...]

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Bookview, October 2007

October 2007

PEOPLE The big news this month was the long-anticipated promotion of Carolyn Reidy to the position of President & CEO of S&S, following Jack Romanos‘ retirement announcement. Following that move, Michael Selleck has been promoted to the newly created position of EVP, Sales and Marketing for S&S Inc.. He was SVP Sales & Marketing for [...]

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PEOPLE In a reorganization of the books group, Linda Cunningham, Editorial Director at Meredith has been laid off along with 15 other people. She can be reached at 215.752.2664, or at lindacunningham1@hotmail.com. HarperCollins has hired Steve Ross as President and Publisher, Collins, reporting to Brian Murray. He had been Publisher of Crown. George Bick, SVP [...]

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PEOPLE Carl Raymond has been recruited by Scholastic’s Trade president, Lisa Holton, to the newly created position of Director of New Media Projects. He was most recently Adult Publishing Director of DK. HarperCollins Group President Brian Murray announced that Joe Tessitore, President of Collins since 2004, will retire from full-time publishing by November 1. In [...]

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Bookview, January 2007

January 2007

PEOPLE On December 15, two hundred and fifteen years after the Bill of Rights was ratified (in case you had lost perspective), Judith Regan was dismissed from HarperCollins. Maureen Egen, Deputy Chairman and Publisher of the Hachette Book Group USA, will step down from those roles January 1 and will leave the company by the [...]

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