Ditlow.

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 by February 1.” In the meantime, Ditlow can be reached through Brilliance’s offices in Michigan.

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.   

Groban to Head HMH Children's Group; Benton to Leave

Groban.

As the integration of the trade units of Houghton Mifflin and Harcourt moves forward, HMH Trade & Reference Publishers president Gary Gentel has named Betsy Groban senior v-p and publisher of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt children's book group. Lori Benton, v-p and publisher of Harcourt Children’s Books, will leave the company at the end of the month. Groban, who is based in Boston, joined HM in 2006 as v-p and publisher of the children's book group. An HMH spokesperson said there are no current plans to merge any of the HMH children’s imprints.

Groban is the fourth senior v-p to be appointed by Gentel. Last week, Bridget Marmion was named senior v-p of marketing; Laurie Brown was appointed senior v-p of sales; and Mia Camacho was promoted to senior v-p of finance and operations. More decisions about the shape of the trade group are expected to be made imminently including the fate of the San Diego office, which has about 65 employees.

Raincoast will close its publishing program after its 15-title spring 2008 season. “This has been a necessary but very painful cost-cutting decision,” said Allan MacDougall, CEO of Raincoast Books; ”made all the more difficult by the exceptional calibre of writers and the staff we have cultivated over the last few years.” The domestic publishing unit, however, has been never been profitable.   

Future Pundits

Several new nonfiction offerings target those interested in learning about the electoral process and other aspects of American politics. Created by the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance, Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out (Candlewick, Sept.) collects personal essays, historical fiction, poetry and more from more than 100 contributors that include M.T. Anderson, Kate DiCamillo, Walter Dean Myers, Katherine Paterson and more. Royalties will benefit the NCBLA.

Eyewitness: Vote by Philip Steele (Apr.), the latest in the DK series, examines the process of voting itself, such as the ways it differs worldwide and how it has shaped history.

Declare Yourself (Greenwillow, June) collects 50 essays that encourage eligible teens to vote, and all teens to get involved politically. Contributors are popular celebrities, authors and others, including Meg Cabot, America Ferrara and Tyra Banks.

HarperCollins’s Collins imprint will offer several books aimed at politically inquisitive children. Presidents FYI (June) takes an in-depth look at the executive branch, covering past Presidents, the history of the Presidency, the role of the First Family and more. And White House Q&A (Jan.) and American Flag Q&A (June) answer common questions on both topics, among them “Who came up with the name ‘White House’? ” and “How has the American flag changed over time?”    

The books’ covers promise “advice & more from your average but xtraordinary friends.” That advice comes from both the Rosenbergs, who write in the voices of fictional teens, as well as from 12 real-life teenagers, who share their personal experiences. The initial source for the teen contributors was the karate school where Carol, Gary and Justin have taken lessons for years. They had met a number of young students there, and their instructor’s teenage daughter put them in touch with others, creating a rich networking base. They also tapped a school psychologist, Antonietta Tarnell, to provide commentary for the first four Jon & Jayne books.