Pinkney to Scholastic
As part of a reorganization of Scholastic's trade group, Andrea Davis Pinkney, former publisher of the Houghton Mifflin children's division, has been named v-p, publisher, of hardcover and early childhood. Jazan Higgins, head of hardcovers, has been named to the post of v-p, cross-company strategy and special projects.
In related moves, Craig Walker was promoted to senior editorial director of paperbacks and Catherine Daly will join Scholastic as editorial director of paperbacks Dec. 5, after serving in a similar role at Simon Spotlight. The changes come shortly after the departure of Jean Feiwel as publisher of the trade group, and were made by Lisa Holton, who has served as president for trade and book fairs since the summer.
Sales Off at Hastings
With comparable-store sales down in every segment, total revenue at Hastings Entertainment fell 4% in the third quarter ended October 31, to $114.6 million, and the net loss increased to $2.7 million from $1.6 million. Book comp sales, hurt by weak frontlist titles, were down 2.7% in the quarter. For the first nine months of the year, book comps were down 1.6%, which Hastings attributed in part to lower sales of mass market paperbacks and bargain books as well as a decline in spoken-word audio.
Ingram Adds Five
Ingram Publishers Services has added five new publisher clients. Joining IPS at the beginning of 2006 are Kogan Page, Imprint Academic, Severn House and Netcomics. On June 1, Michael Wiese Productions will move to IPS.
Google Gives To LOC
Google has donated $3 million to the Library of Congress's World Digital Library program. The donation will help the LOC establish a digital repository for cultural materials from around the world. Only copies of public domain titles will be made.
Adams Teams With About.com
In a partnership that will ultimately allow for the marketing of print materials online, Adams Media and About.com have teamed up to launch a line of self-help books. The how-to books—topics will range from personal finance and health care to entertainment—will be branded with the About.com name and will correlate with exclusive Web content from About.com's topic-specific channels. The line will launch in fall 2006 with four titles; 24 are planned to hit shelves by 2008.
Friedman Wins 'FT' Award
Thomas L. Friedman has won the first Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award for his bestseller The World Is Flat. Friedman's work was selected from six finalists. The newly established annual award was launched to find the title with "the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business."
Patterson's PageTurners Picked
Dallas County Community Colleges and San Francisco's Litquake festival were the two top winners in the first PageTurner Awards, sponsored by author James Patterson. Both organizations received $25,000. A total of 34 winners were chosen by Patterson, and more than $100,000 was awarded.
Sarasota's Indie B'store Sold
After a deal with a shady prospective buyer fell through, Sarasota News & Books has found a new buyer. Brother and sister Andrew and Meghan Foley, Sarasota, Fla., natives, will take over the store from current owners Dick and Caren Lobo Dec. 1. Meghan will be involved in daily operations. The Foleys plan to make few changes—mostly cosmetic interior fixes—to the store.
