Amara Hoshijo has joined Saga Press as an editor. She previously worked on science fiction titles at Soho Press including The Seep by Chana Porter, Annie and the Wolves by Andromeda Romano-Lax, and the forthcoming Midnight, Water City by Chris McKinney. Saga editorial director Joe Monti said,

Amara has a keen perspective and a high level of enthusiasm for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror that will be a boon to ...Read More

PS Publishing has announced that it will take over publication of Interzone magazine from TTA Press, which also produces the Black Static and Crimewave magazines. Ian Whates of NewCon Press will replace Andy Cox as editor.

PS co-founder Peter Crowther said, “The call came on the Saturday before Christmas Day, from Andy Cox, Main Man of Interzone magazine who wanted to know if I fancied taking on IZ’s production reins, ...Read More

Amazon Publishing may shift their longstanding stance against allowing libraries to lend their ebooks. The company is said to be in “active discussions” with the Digital Public Library of America to alter its policies. Amazon is reportedly “testing a number of different models” and may lend books as early as 2021, with a spokesperson saying, “We believe libraries serve a critical purpose in communities across the country, and our priority ...Read More

Knopf Random House Canada is splitting apart: beginning in 2021, Knopf Canada and Random House Canada will operate independently again (they were combined in 2009). Publisher Anne Collins will become executive editor and vice-president of Random House Canada on January 4, 2021. CEO Kristin Cochrane says, “I believe the time is right to have space for each to build on its past successes and pave the way for the future. ...Read More

Hachette Book Group has announced plans for a new imprint, Legacy Lit, “dedicated to books for and by people of color.” Executive editor Krishan Trotman has been promoted from executive editor to vice-president and publisher, reporting to Susan Weinberg of Perseus Books division. Beginning in 2022, Legacy Lit plans to produce 12 to 15 titles each year in various genres, and to “give voice to issues authors, and communi­ties that ...Read More

LitRPG publisher Portal Books is launching new imprint Monolith with a focus on more traditional science fiction and fantasy genres including “Post-Apocalyptic, Epic Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Cyber Punk and others.” Titles acquired by Monolith include Everwinter by Peter Hackshaw, Ascendant by Michael R. Miller, a trilogy by Damien Hine, as well as the rights to the Landkist Saga by Steven Kelliher.

For more information, see the ...Read More

Penguin Random House has announced plans to purchase Simon & Schuster from ViacomCBS for $2.175 billion in an all-cash deal. ViacomCBS had reportedly hoped to sell S&S for at least $1.2 billion. S&S had $814 million in sales in 2019 and $823 million in 2018.

The company was initially offered for sale in March 2020, but plans were put on hold when the coronavirus pandemic hit. After the S&S acquisition ...Read More

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt fired 525 employees on the first of October, fol­lowed by more than 150 employees who took early retirement in September. In all, their workforce has dropped by over 20%, from about 3,3000 to 2,600. They have implemented other cost-cutting measures, most related to the increased popularity of ebooks and a new “digital first” approach.

Harper Children’s has announced changes at their Harper imprint. Director of publishing VP ...Read More

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) announced it will explore selling its publishing company, HMH Books & Media.

The potential sale would reduce debt and build on the Company’s October 1 restructuring to align its cost structure to its digital-first, connected strategy, and create a pure-play learning technology company. The Company has engaged Centerview Partners to explore the potential sale of HMH Books & Media.

Jack Lynch, president and CEO of HMH, ...Read More

UK small press PS Publishing has launched a new imprint, Absinthe Books, with author/editor Marie O’Regan serving as managing editor. The imprint’s “remit is to publish a wide range of authors and material, predominantly but not exclusively new to PS Publishing.”

The first titles are novellas Mr. Sandman by S.J.I. Holliday, Broken Things: A Tale of Durstan by George Mann, and On the Shoulders of Otava by Laura Mauro, launching ...Read More

Random House Children’s Books has announced a new middle grade and YA imprint, Labyrinth Road, with a focus on contemporary fantasy and realistic literary novels. Liesa Abrams will serve as vice president and editor-in-chief of the imprint, effective November 9, 2020. Abrams was most recently vice-president, editor-at-large at Simon & Schuster. In a statement, she says,

Labyrinth Road is a home for books about epic journeys—both fantastical and emotional—that give ...Read More

Five percent of Hough­ton Mifflin Harcourt’s employees (166 people) agreed to take part in a voluntary early retire­ment incentive program. The offer was open to all US employees age 55 or up with at least five years at the company (about 18% of employ­ees qualified). Most left effective September 4, 2020. The cost of the incentives is around $13.5 million, and should save HMH 17 or 18 million dollars per ...Read More

Penguin Random House US released the results of company’s demographic analysis. CEO Madeline McIntosh says, “I don’t think any of us is likely to be surprised by the data, which show that our company, like our industry, is far too homogeneous. But seeing what we generally know to be true documented this way is hard: the distance we have to travel to become a truly diverse company feels all the ...Read More