Timothy Travaglini, formerly a senior editor at Putnam Books for Young Readers, has been named director of children’s acquisitions for digital publisher Open Road. Reporting to Barbara Marcus, the company’s children’s books advisor, Travaglini will help expand the company’s e-book program for backlist young adult, middle grade, and picture books, and will be involved in acquisition of and publication activities for Open Road Publishing Partners and e-riginal titles.
Over the course of his career, Travaglini's authors and illustrators have included bestselling author/illustrator Michael Rex, National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor, and Leo and Diane Dillon. Marcus said Travaglini, who left Putnam in 2010, not only brings editorial experience to Open Road, but also a passion for marketing, which she sees as one of the company’s strengths. “He really believes in it, and understands how publishing books and marketing books work hand in hand,” she said. “You can create the most wonderful property, but the audience has to know about it.”
Right now, she added, Open Road is placing particular emphasis on its relationships with its publishing partners, as well as its author-branded backlist, which includes Virginia Hamilton and Lois Lenski. For this year’s 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, the company is bringing out two romance novels by Diane Hoh: Titanic: The Long Night and Remembering the Titanic.
In these and other efforts, Marcus, who was a consultant at Penguin while Travaglini was an editor there, will be working closely with Travaglini – literally. “Three of us are sitting in one office, around one desk,” she said (the third is Open Road assistant editor Samantha Streger). “We have one phone. It’s great. We hear each other’s business and know when to tune each other out.”
