Store Sales Drop Again

Bookstore sales dropped 6.0% in April, to $909 million, according to estimates released by the Census Bureau. Sales have declined every month this year and sales were off 4.3%, to $5.10 billion, in the January-through-April period. Sales for the entire retail segment were up 3.1% in April and 3.8% in the first four months of 2007.

Einhorn Gets Putnam Imprint

Amy Einhorn will join G.P. Putnam July 9 as publisher of her own imprint, Amy Einhorn Books. The new imprint will publish fiction, narrative nonfiction and commercial fiction, and Putnam president Ivan Held said he hopes to release Einhorn’s first list in fall 2008. Einhorn has been at Warner Books (now Grand Central Publishing) for several years, most recently as hardcover editor-in-chief of Grand Central.

Everly Leaving Doubleday

As part of the reorganization of the Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group marketing department, Jackie Everly is stepping down as senior v-p, associate publisher and executive director of marketing for the Random House division. Everly has been with Doubleday and Doubleday Broadway for more than 30 years. To replace Everly, Doubleday is promoting Suzanne Herz to executive director of marketing for the entire group. Herz will oversee marketing efforts for all imprints, and will remain publisher of her own imprint, Flying Dolphin Press.

Dolan Moving To Penguin

Eamon Dolan is leaving his post as editor-in-chief of Houghton Mifflin to join the Penguin Press July 9 in a similar role. He’s succeeding Scott Moyers, who is joining the Wylie Agency as a director. Dolan, who has been at HM since 1998, will report to Penguin Press publisher Ann Godoff.

Kensington in Joint Venture With Hudsons

Kensington Publishing has entered into a joint publishing venture with Hudson Publishing, a new company started by Wade and Cheryl Hudson, the founders of African-American children’s publisher Just Us Books, to form Marimba Books. The new imprint will publish children’s books aimed at the multicultural market. The first six titles will be released in 2008.

Aperture’s Harris Resigns

Citing personal reasons, Ellen Harris, CEO of Aperture, the photography foundation and resource center, has resigned. Michael Culoso, Aperture’s director of finance and administration, will serve as interim CEO. Harris joined Aperture in January 2003, and is credited with expanding Aperture’s book publishing and educational programs.

Rizzoli Buys HLLA

Rizzoli International has acquired the publishing assets of Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, the illustrated book publisher based in Westport, Conn. Rizzoli will incorporate the 200 HLLA titles into its Rizzoli and Universe imprints. Jim Muschett, who has held several positions at HLLA, will join Rizzoli to help manage and revise the acquired titles. HLLA had been distributed by Publishers Group West and was owed more than $1 million at the time of the AMS bankruptcy. Rizzoli is distributed by Random House.

Rowling to Do U.S. Tour

J.K. Rowling is doing her first U.S. book tour since 1999. The author will be in the U.S. in October to support Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in her blockbuster series. Rowling is scheduled to do four events, three of which will be open exclusively to schoolchildren. The final event, in New York City, is open to fans, but tickets must be won through a contest publisher Scholastic is sponsoring.

Graywolf Author Nabs Lit Prize

Per Petterson, whose novel Out Stealing Horses was released by Graywolf Press in May, has won the International Dublin IMPAC Award for Fiction. The prize, with a monetary award of $135,000, is the biggest fiction prize for any work published in English. After selling 4,000 copies of Horses, Graywolf has gone back to press for another 5,000 copies. Horses will appear on the cover of the New York Times Book Review June 24.