News

News Shorts
Staff -- 10/16/00

Wiley in Deals with netLibrary, Lightning Source | New Marketing V-P at Crown
Replica Books, Gardners Ink POD Pact | Carlton Books Acquires Deutsch
Spinsters Ink On the Block | McCoyd Named New Technology Director at AAP
New Logo for Holt | New Publisher for Dearborn Trade | Gao Wins Nobel in Literature
Messitte Moves Up At Vintage, Anchor | Morgenstern Joins Disney Publishing


E-Books
Wiley in Deals with netLibrary, Lightning Source
John Wiley stepped up its e-book efforts last week, signing a conversion and distribution agreement with netLibrary and a separate distribution deal with Lightning Source.

NetLibrary will provide digital conversion services for frontlist titles from Wiley's professional and trade groups. Approximately 750 new Wiley titles in such categories as business, finance, computer, psychology, technical and general-interest nonfiction will be converted into e-books under the first year of the agreement. The titles will be compatible with a variety of e-book platforms including handheld PDAs and readers devices as well as with downloadable desktop platforms. NetLibrary will also provide fulfillment services to its customers in the corporate, academic and public library markets.

The agreement with Lightning Source will give Wiley digital fulfillment for its e-books through Lightning's consumer e-retailer distribution channels.

A spokesperson for Wiley said the company is working on the pricing for the e-books, but noted that the price "probably won't be significantly different than the print versions." The titles are expected to be available by the end of the year.
--Jim Milliot


Appointment
New Marketing V-P at Crown
Crown Books has named Kevin Ball v-p of marketing. Ball succeeds Jeff Bartlett, who left for a position with Home Depot, and will be charged with driving sales, increasing average transactions and increasing store traffic throughout the 91-store chain. "Kevin's expertise in marketing and advertising will play an integral role in helping Crown build on our leadership as a discount book retailer," said company president Charlie Cumello.Before moving to Crown, Ball most recently served as senior marketing and advertising executive for Trans World Entertainment. He will report directly to Cumello.
--Staff


Distribution
Replica Books, Gardners Ink POD Pact
Replica Books, the on-demand printing operation of Baker & Taylor's Informata.com business unit, has reached an agreement with U.K. wholesaler Gardners Books through which the companies will supply on-demand editions to retailers and libraries in the U.S. and U.K. Replica will print and distribute books on behalf of Gardners in the U.S., while Gardners will perform the same services for Replica in the U.K.

While Replica publishes approximately 3,000 on-demand book titles, Gardners will begin its digital book service later this fall with the installation of a Xerox-based system. According to Replica publisher Susan Frost, the alliance between the two companies "allows us to provide a global solution for publishers and customers. There is no longer any need to print books in the U.S. and ship to the U.K. and vice versa."
--Staff


British Publishing
Carlton Books Acquires Deutsch
After several weeks of rumors, Carlton Books, a nonfiction publisher with TV links, has announced a successful bid for Andre Deutsch for an undisclosed sum. Originally a distinguished literary, travel, history and biography publisher, Deutsch, previously owned by the VCI Group, has in recent years become better known for its sports and media lists, which included a Manchester United imprint and tie-in titles with the ITV network Granada.

These lines have been the major attraction for Carlton, whose managing director Jonathan Goodman called them strong brand names that would enable Carlton to rival Channel 4 Books and BBC Worldwide. He told PW that Carlton will be taking a careful look at the rest of the list and may reissue backlist titles by such authors as Gore Vidal, Margaret Atwood and Ogden Nash, though many of the rights have now reverted. It has not yet been decided whether to keep the Andre Deutsch name.

Diana Athill, a founding director of Deutsch who has just published a memoir of her days with the firm, said she would prefer the name to disappear, as the firm has lost its original identity.
--Jean Richardson


Opportunity
Spinsters Ink On the Block
Spinsters Ink, the Duluth, Minn., feminist press, has been placed up for sale by its owner and publisher of the last eight years, Joan Drury. Drury said she is in serious discussions with three parties and hopes to have a sale concluded by the end of the year.

Founded in 1978, Spinsters Ink has a backlist of 52 titles covering a wide range of topics such as chemical dependency, women in history and family issues. It is releasing its final two titles this fall. Drury told PW she is selling the company because she is "tired. This is a rigorous industry, and I've had some illness and personal losses this year. I need a more manageable life."
--Staff


Appointment
McCoyd Named New Technology Director at AAP
The Association of American Publishers has named Edward McCoyd director of new technology. McCoyd, who started at the AAP September 18, replaced Carol Risher, who left the association this summer to launch a new technology company.

Before joining the AAP, McCoyd had been the director of legal services at the Authors Guild. In his new post, McCoyd will work to develop open technological standards for the e-book market as well as support AAP's copyright protection efforts. McCoyd will be based in AAP's New York office.
--Staff



Generations of Henry Holt logos
Image
New Logo for Holt
Henry Holt will unveil a new logo at this week's Frankfurt Book Fair. The logo breaks from the past in that the new look will only suggest the company's trademark owl and will instead emphasize the double "H" in the company name. The new image will serve as the logo for Henry Holt adult trade titles and for Owl Books. Logos for Holt's other imprints will remain the same. According to Holt president and publisher John Sterling, the new logo captures Holt's long tradition of publishing quality works, while at the same time "it looks forward to a new century of publishing."
--Staff



Appointment
New Publisher for Dearborn Trade
In order to speed its growth, Dearborn Trade has named Cynthia Zigmund v-p and publisher. Zigmund, who joined Dearborn in 1996, had been associate publisher.

The position of publisher had been open for about three years with Dearborn Trade run by its editorial director, sales director and marketing director. Earlier this year Eric Cantor, president of Dearborn parent Kaplan Professional, felt that if the unit was to expand as quickly as planned, a publisher was needed. Zigmund will report to Cantor. Dearborn currently publishes about 50 business books annually and as part of its growth plans is looking to hire a new editorial director.
--Staff


Awards
Gao Wins Nobel in Literature
Gao Xingjian, a Chinese writer now living in France, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature last week. A writer of prose, translator, dramatist, director, critic and artist, Gao's work has "transcended the bounds of his Chinese background to win universal appeal," the Swedish Academy said. Gao left China in 1987 after his play The Other Shore was banned by the government and settled in France as a political refugee.

None of Gao's works have been published in the U.S., although The Other Shore: Plays by Gao Xingjian, translated by Gilbert C.F. Fong, was published in 1999 in Hong Kong by the Chinese University Press, and Soul Mountain, a novel, was published in 1999 by HarperCollins Australia. Georges Borchardt is handling U.S. rights for Soul as well as a second novel, A Man's Bible.
--Staff


Promotion
Messitte Moves Up At Vintage, Anchor
Anne Messitte, formerly v-p and associate publisher of Vintage and Anchor Books, has been named v-p and publisher of the two imprints.

Sonny Mehta, president of the Knopf Publishing Group, which includes Vintage and Anchor, credited Messitte with establishing a frontlist publishing program at Vintage and managing the combination of the two imprints last year.

Messitte began her career at Random House in 1991 at Vintage and Pantheon. She was named marketing manager for the Knopf Publishing Group in 1992 and associate publisher for series publishing in 1994. In 1996 she was named v-p and associate publisher of Vintage and added responsibility for Anchor in 1999.
--Staff


Appointment
Morgenstern Joins Disney Publishing
Ellen Morgenstern has been named director of communications for Disney Publishing Worldwide. Morgenstern, who had been publicity director at Workman Publishing, will oversee all internal and external communications for Disney Publishing's children's books and magazine operations. She will report to Deborah Dugan, senior v-p and managing director at Disney Publishing Worldwide.
--Staff