Swinwood to Succeed Hayes At Harlequin
Harlequin’s longtime leader, Donna Hayes, will retire from the publishing house at the end of the year. She’ll be succeeded by Craig Swinwood, currently the chief operating officer for Harlequin North America. Swinwood, 50, has been at Harlequin for 26 years and will become publisher and CEO Jan. 1.
Penguin’s Heffernan to Retire
Dick Heffernan, who has been running Penguin’s adult hardcover and children’s sales since 1996, will retire at the end of the year. PRH will fill some of Heffernan’s responsibilities by promoting John Lawton to senior v-p, director of adult hardcover sales for Penguin beginning on Jan. 2.
Mangan Leaving Perseus for Hachette
Hachette Book Group has rounded out its executive team, appointing Joe Mangan as executive v-p and chief operating officer starting Feb. 3. Mangan has served in a similar role at Perseus Books Groups for the last 10 years. At HBG, Mangan will take over many of the responsibilities of Ken Michaels, who left the house for Macmillan Science and Education in August. Perseus is promoting Charles Gallagher to replace Mangan.
Amazon Launches Short Fiction Imprint
Amazon Publishing has launched StoryFront, a new imprint devoted to short fiction across all genres that will serve as home to the digital literary journal Day One, which Amazon announced in October. StoryFront will publish a variety of works exclusive to Kindle, including stories originally published in Day One, available for purchase à la carte.
Supreme Court Won’t Hear Amazon Appeal In N.Y. Tax Case
New York state’s collection of online sales tax has withstood a legal challenge by Amazon and Overstock, as the U.S. Supreme Court decided last week not to hear an appeal of a March ruling by New York’s top court, which found that the state could impose the tax. “It’s heartening that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision has put to rest any legal question as to a state’s ability to collect sales tax on Internet sales,” commented Oren Teicher, CEO of ABA, which has argued that online retailers should collect sales tax.
Little Patriot Press Ties In with Peanuts
Regnery’s children’s publishing program, launched three years ago, has acquired its first license. Through a five-year deal with Peanuts Worldwide, it will feature Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang in a series of books about American history, heroes, government, and civics under the Little Patriot Press imprint. “The children’s book market is so competitive, we felt the best way to have an impact is to partner with a recognized and beloved brand, which is easier said than done,” said Marji Ross, Regnery’s president and publisher.
Fixed-Pricing Law Gets Québec Green Light
In early December, nearly 16 months after the Québec publishing industry began its quest for fixed pricing on new books, it finally got what they wanted. Minister of Culture and Communications Maka Kotto announced that the Québec government will go ahead with a planned law, after the holidays, limiting discounts on new titles to a maximum of 10% within nine months of their release dates. Kotto said that the measure will help “protect Québec’s identity and culture” and that books were not to be “treated like any other commodity.”
BEA, Toy Fair Team Up
BookExpo America has joined with the Toy Industry Association, producers of the American International Toy Fair, to cross promote their events to their respective attendee bases.
