S and S Revamps Kids' Paperback Unit

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing is restructuring its paperback division and collapsing five paperback imprints into two. It will phase out Archway and Minstrel, which had been part of Pocket Books for Young Readers. Positions held by Nancy Pines, v-p and publisher of Pocket's Archway, Minstrel and Pulse imprints, and by Ingrid van der Leeden, a senior editor at Pocket, have been eliminated.

Under the new organization, Aladdin Books will publish for preschool through middle-grade readers, and Pulse will be S&S's teen-focused paperback imprint. Pulse will take over teen titles that had previously been under Aladdin and Archway, and will also do some original paperback publishing. The Simon Spotlight imprint will continue to publish media tie-ins and novelty books, in both hardcover and paperback, and will absorb some Minstrel media tie-in titles.

Ellen Krieger has been promoted to the newly created position of v-p, associate publisher of paperback books, and will oversee Aladdin and Pulse. She will report to v-p and publisher Brenda Bowen. According to Kristina Peterson, president of the children's publishing division, the intent behind the reorganization is to create "focused groups with distinct editorial mandates and stronger marketplace recognition." Peterson also believes that fewer imprints will mean less internal competition. There are no plans to reduce title output.

Later this month, S&S will announce the formation of a new paperback marketing group, a paperback managing editorial group and new hires in art and production.