Penguin Makes Health Hires

Continuing its 2003 pattern of building slowly but broadly, Penguin Group USA announced last week that it had hired two HarperCollins veterans to breathe frontlist life into Avery, the health publisher it acquired in 1999.

The company has brought on Megan Newman and Kate Stark as publisher and associate publisher, respectively. They will oversee a number of acquisitions as well as the backlist, totaling about 30 books per year. Avery's list, which had until now come under the aegis of Perigee publisher John Duff, had been mostly backlist-driven. Newman will "function in an advisory capacity" to Penguin president Kathryn Court.

The Viking Studio line, which also does not have full-time employees, will now come under Newman, and will publish a small number of illustrated books. Penguin CEO David Shanks said he thought the imprint will have an advantage over other startups because there will be a backlist.

In other Penguin news, Tracy Tang, president and publisher of Puffin Books, will be leaving her position on February 12. Tang, who headed Puffin for nine years, is leaving to spend more time with her family and pursue other interests, according to Doug Whiteman, president of Penguin Young Readers Group. A successor for Tang has not yet been named.