Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Publishers Lunch


Today's Meal


Six members of the management team at Washington, DC’s Kramerbooks & Afterwords Café have quit after disagreements with the new owner. The departures took place over the past three weeks and include the events director, the general manager, and the head buyer. Three anonymous sources "familiar with the situation" tell the Washington Post that the employees quit "in a coordinated effort after clashing with the new owner" Steve Salis over "concerns about the work environment. But Salis, who bought the forty-year old Dupont Circle store last November, told the Washington Post, "We don't know why they left — no notice and no explanation. Just did not show up one day." At the same time, Salis also told the paper, "It is inevitable that some long-time employees will not adapt to or accept change or new management."

Kramerbooks spokeswoman Leah Frelinghuysen further claims that "three of the five employees who decided to leave the company went on a trip the week prior to not showing up for work, using unauthorized company funds," which one of the sources denies.

Since taking the reigns last year, Salis has launched a months-long renovation to add more event space and a children's annex next door. He hired Jamie Galler as coo, formerly a senior executive at Riese Restaurants, and last Friday the store announced on Twitter that president and co-founder of Hooks Books Event Perry Hooks is joining the store as senior advisor. The store commented on the Washington Post story on Twitter by saying, "We are dedicated to preserving the essence of Kramers and its long lasting history.

Tara Greico joins Random House Children's Books as marketing coordinator, licensed & proprietary brands. She was previously marketing assistant at Simon & Schuster.

At Dutton, Emily Brock has been promoted to senior publicist.

Susan Hershberg and Wes Seeley have both joined Princeton Architectural Press as publicity managers. Previously, Hershberg was associate director of publicity at America's Test Kitchen. Seeley was publicity and marketing manager at Hal Leonard.

JK Rowling was in a new Twitter
brawl with Piers Morgan over the weekend after she noted "how much she had enjoyed watching Morgan being attacked by a forthright panel of commentators in an argument about the impact of Donald Trump's presidency" on Bill Maher's HBO show.

A spokesperson confirmed to the AP that former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama will stay with attorney Bob Barnett and his colleague Deneen Howell at Williams & Connolly for book representation. The Obamas will use the Harry Walker Agency for speaking engagements.

The London Book Fair's Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to publisher and co-founder of Brazil's Companhia das Letras Luiz Schwarcz.

Distribution
Consortium has added five new publishers as distribution clients: Cassava Republic Press, Hoxton Mini Press, Iron Circus Comics, and Transit Books, who signed on as of January 2017, and Animal Media Group, which joined in September 2016

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