HarperCollins Children's Books announced two promotions. Rosemary Brosnan has been named editorial director; she was previously executive editor. Authors she has worked with include Neil Gaiman, Rita Williams-Garcia, Lauren Oliver, Kelley Armstrong, Gail Carson Levine, and Neal Shusterman. Andrew Harwell has been promoted to editor, from associate editor. Harwell joined Harper in June 2011 from Penguin.
The AJC Decatur Book Festival has named Diane Capriola, co-owner of Little Shop of Stories, to the newly created position of manager of children's and teen programming. Capriola, who has worked with the festival since its 2006 inception, is on the American Booksellers Association's advisory board, as well as the advisory board of the ABA's ABC Children’s Group.
YA/children's development company Paper Lantern Lit has two new hires and a promotion. Hayley Wagreich has joined as assistant editor; she was formerly editorial assistant at Disney Publishing. Rhoda Belleza has been promoted to associate editor, from assistant editor. And Adam Silvera, formerly of Books of Wonder, has been named marketing intern.
Liza Kaplan will join Philomel Books on February 1 as editor, moving from Dutton Books for Young Readers, where she was assistant editor. At Philomel she will edit 5-7 books a year, focusing on literary fiction with commercial appeal.
Jennifer L. Holm, author-illustrator (with her brother, Matthew Holm) of the Babymouse series, has joined the board of directors of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Holm is the first creator of exclusively children's content to join the board, and will focus on advancing the organization's work protecting the freedom to read comics, especially in youth and educational settings.
The Hachette Book Group has named David Epstein v-p of sales for Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Most recently he was director of national accounts for Disney.
Alexandra Penfold will join Upstart Crow Literary as an agent on February 1. She was previously an editor at Paula Wiseman Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. She’ll be representing a range of age groups, from picture books through upper YA, along with select adult cooking and lifestyle projects.
Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing has four new hires. Jeanine Henderson has joined Aladdin as senior designer; previously she was senior designer at Penguin Young Readers. Jay Colvin has joined Simon Spotlight/ Little Simon as senior designer; he was formerly senior designer at Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Liz Doyle has joined Simon Spotlight/Little Simon as junior designer. Previously she worked for design firm Hsu & Associates. And Sylvie Frank has joined Paula Wiseman Books as associate editor; she had been an editor at Holiday House.
Fiona Kenshole is joining the Transatlantic Literary Agency, representing children's illustrators and authors. She was most recently v-p of development acquisition at Laika.
Online literary journal YARN, the Young Adult Review Network, has announced two new editors. Kathryn Burak, whose debut young adult novel, Emily’s Dress and Other Missing Things, has just been nominated for an Edgar Award, is the new poetry editor. Diana Renn (Tokyo Heist) will join the staff as fiction editor.