People & Publishing Roundup, March 2024

MILESTONES

DAVID-CHRISTOPHER GAL­HEA is now represented via Ginger Clark Literary.

DANI RAANAN is now repre­sented by the John Jarrold Literary Agency.

J. FEDERLE is now a client of Ginger Clark Literary.

 

AWARDS

SUSAN COOPER is the 40th recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award, presented via the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. She will be honored June 6-9, 2024, at the 59th Nebula Awards Ceremony in ...Read More

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Patrick Nielsen Hayden Becomes Editor-at-Large

Patrick Nielsen Hayden is transitioning from VP, associate publisher, and editor-in-chief of Tor to editor-at-large for the Tor Publishing Group.

Publisher and president Devi Pillai says,

I’m thrilled to announce that Patrick Nielsen Hayden has assumed the title of Editor-at-Large for the Tor Publishing Group. With 35 years at the company, Patrick has long been a central part of TPG. He is responsible for publishing the debut novels of many ...Read More

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Bards and Sages to Close

Effective March 6, 2024, Bards and Sages Publishing has begun “the process of winding down.” This includes both Bards and Sages Quarterly and The Society of Misfit Stories and the book publishing program. Back issues of the magazines will remain on sale until the end of 2024, and then all back issues will be removed from sale, and all rights will revert to their respective authors and artists. Editor Julie ...Read More

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Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction Call

The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction Volume Three anthology is open to submissions until March 31, 2024, covering works originally published in 2023. The book will be published in late 2024 by Caezik SF & Fantasy.​ Editors for this volume are Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki & Chinaza Eziaghighala.

We welcome submissions of all reprint works of speculative fiction, from any genres and sub genres, including fantasy, dark fantasy, science fiction, horror ...Read More

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Balzer + Bray Moves to Macmillan

Young Adult imprint Balzer + Bray is moving from HarperChildren’s to Macmillan Children’s, effective April 15, 2024. Founding editors Alessandra Balzer and Donna Bray will be senior vice-presidents and co-publishers at the new company.

The imprint was founded in 2009 at HarperCollins. Previously published titles, and new books currently under contract, will remain with HarperCollins, to be published under various imprints. No titles for the new incarnation have been announced ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, February 2024

MILESTONES

LESLYE PENELOPE is now represented by Arley Sorg of kt literary.

MEG ELISON is now repre­sented by Arley Sorg of kt literary.

AWARDS

R.L. STINE and KATHERINE HALL PAGE have been named the 2024 Mystery Writers of America Grand Masters. MICHAELA HAMILTON of Kensington Publishing will receive the Ellery Queen Award. The recipients will be honored at the annual Edgar Awards ceremony on May 1, 2024 in New York ...Read More

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Orbit Works Launch

Orbit’s new digital imprint, Orbit Works, has announced its first four titles, with the first to launch in Fall 2024.

The first Orbit Works title will be Sophia Slade’s Nightstrider, a dark fantasy about creatures with the ability to cross the boundary between the dream realm and the real world. Slade has previously independently published seven books, ranging from dark fantasy to poetry.

Nightstrider will be followed by Laura ...Read More

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Soho Press Launches Horror Imprint

Independent publisher Soho Press has launched a new horror imprint, Hell’s Hundred:

Named after the once bleak, now chic New York City neighborhood of SoHo—formerly known as “hell’s hundred acres” for its grim industrial facades and deadly fires—Hell’s Hundred provides fertile ground for new nightmares to take root. From grisly and macabre to darkly humorous, Hell’s Hundred publishes bold visions of horror from voices new and established.

The line will ...Read More

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Publishing News

In early January, au­diobook publisher Audible announced plans to lay off five percent of its workforce, likely around 100 staffers. CEO Bob Carrigan said in a memo that 2023 was a “strong year,” but that “to position us for continued success in the coming year and into the future, given the increasingly challenging landscape we face, we have to take this difficult decision now.”

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); While ...Read More

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Tor.com Rebranding as Reactor

Tor Publishing Group announced via press release that the Tor.com site will be rebranded as Reactor on January 23, 2024. The launch includes a redesigned website. According to the announcement,

The site has been publisher agnostic since its founding, and the new name will reflect its independence from Tor Publishing Group. The short fiction program will continue under the Reactor name, and in addition to the daily commentary on science ...Read More

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PRH Diversity Report

Penguin Ran­dom House has released their latest report on workforce demographics, with only small changes from last year. For nonwarehouse employees, 70.05% are white, 10.5% Asian, 9.45% Hispanic, 6.04% Black, and 2.92% bi- or multi-racial.

BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other people of color) employees account for 36.9% of entry-level employees, and 19.1% of executives. Overall, 73.75% of PRH employees are women, 24.94% men, and 1.32% nonbinary. In editorial, 36.8% of ...Read More

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Publishing News

Arnaud Lagardère is now chair and CEO of Hachette Livre, while remaining CEO of parent company Lagardere (which also owns Hachette Book Group and Hachette UK). He replaces Pierre Leroy, who will remain deputy CEO of Lagardere. Arnaud Lagardère says,

In light of the impending merger of the Lagardère group and Vivendi, I wanted to demonstrate my historical and deep-root­ed attachment to the book trade, which the Lagardère family has ...Read More

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Small Beer Press Hiatus

Small Beer Press has announced that it will not open to submissions or publish any new books for the foreseeable future. Publisher Gavin Grant cited health complications from COVID-19 as the reason for the hiatus. He said, “In 2022 we only managed to publish two books. This year we published four and here at the end of the year I see how much these books missed the old me.”

Small ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, December and January 2023

MILESTONES

JESMYN WARD’s Let Us De­scend (Scribner) has been chosen by Oprah Winfrey as the next title for her Book Club. Winfrey said, “I have read all of Jesmyn Ward’s books and have been a fan of her writing for years. Let Us Descend is a vital work for our culture and I’m so excited to have her newest offering as part of our Book Club.”

 

AWARDS

NNEDI ...Read More

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Cait Corrain Controversy

This story was updated 12/13/23.

Author Cait Corrain’s 2024 debut novel Crown of Starlight was removed from Del Rey’s schedule today after Corrain was accused of creating numerous fake Goodreads accounts for the purpose of leaving negative reviews for other authors on the popular site. Corrain’s agent, Rebecca Podos of Rees Literary Agency, has also cut ties with the writer.

The “review bombing” was publicized last week by author Xiran ...Read More

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Scholastic Union News

The Scholastic Union, represented by The NewsGuild of New York, has reached a tentative  contract agreement, negotiating a $65K minimum salary for current and future employees. In their announcement post on Instagram, union leaders write: “It’s hard to overstate what an incredible win this is! By achieving this, we’re joining fellow guild shops in setting an industry standard for fairer and more livable wages.”

They’ve also negotiated wage increases: “4.75% ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, November 2023

MILESTONES

CHARLES E. GANNON is now represented by Vaughne Hansen & Christine Cohen of the Virginia Kidd Agency.

 

AWARDS

NICOLA GRIFFITH’s Spear (Tordotcom) was longlisted for the 2023 Crown Awards, presented by the Historical Writers Associa­tion. The shortlist was announced October 18, 2023, and winners will be revealed on November 22, 2023.

NAOMI KRITZER’s ‘‘The Dragon Project’’ (Clarkesworld 3/22) won the Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press ...Read More

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Tsang Joins Bramble

Tor Publishing Group has announced that Erika Tsang will join Bramble, Tor’s romance imprint, as executive editor beginning on November 14, 2023. Tsang was previously editorial director at Avon.

Tsang said, “I am beyond excited to join the Tor family, specifically the Bramble team! This new imprint is off to an amazing start with the list of stellar authors Monique Patterson has already acquired, and I can’t wait to be ...Read More

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Scholastic Worker Walkout

Unionized workers at Scholastic are staging a walkout, protesting the publishing company’s rejection of a proposal for annual raises. Union members did not report to work on November 1, 2023, and held a rally and protest on Zoom and in person outside Scholastic headquarters in New York City.

The union has been trying to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with Scholastic since October 2022. The previous agreement expired in May ...Read More

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Worlds of IF Revival

Worlds of IF magazine is being relaunched. According to their press release:

The classic science fiction magazine Worlds of IF will live again starting February 2024. The magazine will be relaunched with Justin Sloane of Starship Sloane as editor-in-chief and publisher, Jean-Paul L. Garnier of Space Cowboy Books filling the role of deputy-editor-in-chief, and Dr. Daniel Pomarède as science editor. The inaugural issue will be available both in print and ...Read More

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IAFA Announces New Appointments

The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA) has just announced Amanda Firestone as their new Registar, and Farrah Mendlesohn as their new Crawford Award Director.

Candice Thornton, IAFA Public Information Officer, announced:

These new appointments, along with the ongoing dedication of our members and supporters, reinforce our commitment to advancing the study and appreciation of the fantastic in the arts. We look forward to a bright future ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, October 2023

MILESTONES

Sibling author duo ELIZA­BETH & KATHARINE CORR are now represented by Pérez Literary & Entertainment.

AWARDS

Writer, producer, and pup­peteer MARTY KROFFT, 86, won the Julie Award for life­time achievement in multiple genres, presented at Dragon Con.

RICH LARSON’s ‘‘Quandary Aminu vs The Butterfly Man’’ (Tor.com 9/21/22) won the 2023 Eugie Foster Memorial Award for Short Fiction, and Larson received $1,000 and a plaque. The award, announced ...Read More

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Staff Change at khōréō

Zhui Ning Chang is now editor-in-chief at khōréō, taking over the role from magazine founder Aleksandra (Ola) Hill beginning with the magazine’s forthcoming Issue 4.1. In an announcement on X, Hill said,

I’m so thrilled that Zhui Ning has agreed to take over as EIC. They have been with khoreo from the very start, joining our team as a First Reader before shifting into the Fiction Editor role.

Most importantly, ...Read More

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Kimberley Atkins Named Head of Zeus Publishing Director

Kimberley Atkins has joined Head of Zeus as fiction publishing director, where she will “spearhead the strategy and publishing for the company’s Aria, Aries and Apollo Fiction imprints.”

Atkins was previously editorial director at Hodder & Stoughton, commissioning commercial women’s fiction.

Atkins said,

I am delighted to be joining the dynamic team at Head of Zeus and to help shape their fiction publishing across the Aria, Aries and Apollo lists. ...Read More

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Nihar Malaviya Named CEO of PRH

Bertelsmann has announced that Nihar Malaviya is now officially the chief executive officer of Penguin Random House. Malaviya has been the interim CEO since January 1, 2023, following the departure of Markus Dohle in December 2022.

Malaviya was previously the president and COO of PRH. As interim CEO, he separated the Crown Publishing Group from the Random House Publishing Group and created a management group to oversee the US division ...Read More

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Saga Press on the Rise

Saga Press announced some organizational changes, including new additions to its growing staff and a shift in division for the imprint.

Nivia Evans will join as senior editor beginning October 2, 2023, moving from Orbit Books where she held the same title. Evans worked with numerous notable genre authors at Orbit, including Alix E. Harrow, Sara Hashem, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, H.G. Parry, and more. Sareena Kamath will join as editor, ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, September 2023

AWARDS

RICHARD BLEILER won the 2023 Munsey Award, given at Pulpfest to “an individual or or­ganization that has bettered the pulp community.” Nominees were selected by the general pulp com­munity, with the winner selected by a vote of past Lamont, Munsey, and Rusty Awards winners.

CARYL LEWIS’s Drift (Double­day UK) was the Overall Win­ner at the Wales Book of the Year Award for English-language works, and also won the ...Read More

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SFWA Seeks Interns

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has announced its new “Publishing Taught Me” program. The program will invite publishing professionals of color to contribute to “an online essay series, to be collated into an anthology, and a symposium aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres.”

SFWA seeks two paid interns to serve as assistant editors for the project under the ...Read More

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Zombies Need Brains Call for Subs

Publisher Zombies Need Brains, LLC has announced a call for submissions for two upcoming anthologies, Familiars and Last-Ditch.

Familiars is to feature science fiction, fantasy, or urban fantasy stories where the story revolves around some type of animal familiars (or human familiar). We would like a wide variety of genre settings for this anthology. In other words, we don’t want the entire anthology to be urban fantasy settings. As ...Read More

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Fabulist Flash Call for Submissions

The Fabulist Flash, a new flash-fiction project from The Fabulist Words & Art, welcomes submissions of fantastical and speculative writings of up to 1,000 wordsfrom November 6-12, 2023.
The Fabulist Flash will debut in 2024, and run in parallel to our current short-fiction programming. We’re paying a flat fee of $100 for stories of up to 1,000 words (the equivalent of an SFWA-qualifying rate of $0.10/word), payable upon contracted acceptance.
...Read More Read more

ActuSF in Compulsory Liquidation

French publisher ActuSF has been put into compulsory liquidation by the Commercial Court, effective September 4, 2023. The company is open to potential buyers, but the future is uncertain.

In an interview for ActuaLitté, director and editor-in-chief Jérôme Vincent described challenges ActuSF has encountered in recent years, including rising operating costs, the COVID-19 pandemic, and logistical difficulties with distributors. Vincent also expressed gratitude to the authors, translators, booksellers, and others ...Read More

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PRH Changes

Penguin Random House (PRH) continues to reorganize, this time at the Knopf/Doubleday Publishing Group.

Suzanne Herz, publisher of Vintage/Anchor, is taking early retirement effective December 15, 2023. Herz will continue to work in “an external, consulting role” on John Grisham’s books. She was with the company for three decades, first in publicity roles before becoming associate publisher and later publisher.

With Herz’s departure, the Anchor imprint is being discontinued. PRH ...Read More

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