Publishing News

Crown Publishing Group has joined Random House Publishing group to form a new division, effective immediately, run by Random House president and publisher Gina Centrello. Crown president and publisher Maya Mavjee will leave Penguin Random House at the end of 2018. The imprints will maintain their current editorial identities. Penguin Random House US CEO Madeline McIntosh explained in a letter to the staff that “book discovery and buying patterns continue to shift, resulting in growth opportunities in the nonfiction categories in which Crown in particular already has a strong foothold: food, lifestyle, health, wellness, business, and Christian…. We must invest even more aggressively in title-level and scaled marketing programs, capabilities and partnerships.”

Simon & Schuster is expanding their ability to distribute books for other publishers, with plans to open a 300,000 square-foot facility in Milan TN in January 2019. The company has hired Chris Wagner as vice-president and general manager of warehouse operations; Wagner was previously vice-president of distribution and general manager of operations for a Perseus distribution facility. Carolyn Reidy, CEO of S&S, says, “By opening this new facility we are embarking on an important new era in Simon & Schuster’s distribution business, building upon our well-known commitment to distribution and the important role it plays in Simon & Schuster’s overall business.”

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