PW: Parker to Head Joint Book Club

Mel Parker, editor-in-chief and senior v-p of the Book-of-the-Month Club, has been named to direct the editorial operations of the joint book club venture between BOMC and Doubleday Direct announced last year (News, Dec. 20, 1999). The unusual venture has tentatively been named Bookspan. It is a 50-50 partnership between the two clubs' parent companies, Time Warner and Bertelsmann, respectively. Parker will retain his current title and report to club head Markus Wilhelm.

Malka Margolies, a spokesperson for Bookspan, denied rumors that Roger Cooper, former v-p and editorial director of Doubleday Direct, was leaving the company. Margolies told PW that although Cooper will be leaving his current position, he is negotiating with Bookspan to take on an as yet undetermined executive position.

Before joining BOMC, Parker was senior v-p of Warner Books and publisher of Warner Paperbacks. Prior to joining Warner Books in 1987, Parker was editor-in-chief of Berkley Publishing.