Ditlow Joins Brilliance

By Shannon Maughan -- Publishers Weekly, 1/10/2008 8:00:00 AM

Tim Ditlow, former publisher of Listening Library and publisher at large for Random House Audio (see our story in Children’s Bookshelf), has joined Grand Haven, Mich.-based Brilliance Audio, effective immediately. Ditlow is charged with the company’s further expansion into the children’s audio market, according to Brilliance president and publisher Michael Snodgrass. “Tim will be an acquisitions editor, a role which falls within our editorial department, but he’ll also be doing much more than that,” Snodgrass said. “We are still working out the details of what his title will be.” He will report directly to Snodgrass.

Ditlow will be “actively pursuing children’s audio projects,” Snodgrass added, and “will be setting up operations in a Brilliance office in New York.” In the meantime, Ditlow can be reached through Brilliance’s offices in Michigan.

Tim Ditlow.

Brilliance, which was founded by Snodgrass in 1984, was acquired by Amazon last May. At that time, Amazon noted that the move would allow it to increase its number of audiobook offerings to customers, including “Disc-on-Demand” CD and MP3-CD titles via Amazon’s CustomFlix subsidiary. Amazon added an Audiobook Store to its Web site in October. Snodgrass says that building up Brilliance’s children’s list with Ditlow’s guidance is simply moving forward with the broader Amazon initiative of audio expansion. “This lets us do more of what we have been doing all along,” Snodgrass said.

Of the move, Ditlow said, “The digital promised land is on the horizon and I very much want to be a part of that journey. So by signing on with both Brilliance, which has tremendous audio acumen, and Amazon, with its global reach, it struck me as the right time and right place for me to participate.”  

Snodgrass noted of the new arrangement, “I have known and admired Tim for a long time. He has a great background and expertise and I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to work with someone of his caliber.”

There has long been speculation in industry circles that Amazon is gearing up to offer digital downloads in addition to its other audio formats, which would give Audible.com, the retail leader in that arena, a literal run for its money.