Carole Baron has formalized her relationship with Knopf, agreeing to acquire books for the Random House division exclusively. Baron, senior v-p at Bookspan and publisher of its Madison Park unit, had been working with Knopf on a non-exclusive basis for the past two years. Since Bookspan, now Bertelsmann Direct North America closed Madison Park, Baron has been working with Bookspan in an advisory capacity, something she will continue to do.
At Collins, Bruce Nichols has been brought on as v-p and publisher. In the newly created role, formed on the heels of a restructuring at the HarperCollins division, Nichols will oversee reference, politics, current events and humor books, as well as Smithsonian titles.
Nichols arrives from S&S, where he has spent the entirety of his 15-year career in trade publishing at Free Press, most recently in the position of v-p and executive editor. Phil Friedman, who had been publisher of the unit since 2005, is leaving the company Monday.
Also, Virginia Barber has been named editor-at-large at Grove/Atlantic. Barber, a longtime agent who started her own shop in 1974 (which was eventually acquired by William Morris), retired three years ago. Among the authors she’s worked with during her 27 years in the industry are Sue Monk Kidd, Anita Shreve, Peter Mayle and Alice Munro.
At Grove/Atlantic, Barber will be acquiring fiction and nonfiction.
