Simon & Schuster Pairs with Penguin's Author Solutions for Archway Self-Publishing Service

PublishersLunch

Simon & Schuster is joining other publishers such as Thomas Nelson and Harlequin in pairing with Author Solutions--now owned by Penguin/Pearson--to offer its own self-publishing service. (Now that Nelson is owned by HarperCollins, that connects ASI to three of the largest trade publishers.) The service, operated by ASI under license, brings back the old Archway brand and will be known as Archway Publishing. (Archway was an S&S line of young adult paperbacks, which published lines including Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys.) It will be overseen through Simon & Schuster digital, with S&S business development executive Devu Gandhi serving as the day-to-day liaison.

Like the other publisher co-branded ASI offerings, Archway Publishing offers self-published authors premium-priced packages that start at $1,999 (and $1,599 for children's book authors) and reach up to $25,000. Simon & Schuster says they have added "certain unique self-publishing services" to the standard ASI offering. (Nelson's West Bow Press packages start at $999; Harlequin's Dellarte's services start at $599. Other publishing partners include Hay House, Writer's Digest, and Guideposts.)

Authors who pay for promotional videos can distribute them through S&S's video distribution network; Archway titles will be listed in Edelweiss; and the line is working with Speakerfile through an Archway Speakers Bureau to connect authors to potential appearances. S&S has provided their own guidelines on book design for self-published authors, and Archway authors will have the option of working with a dedicated ASI "concierge" through the publishing process. In all other respects, however, "while Simon & Schuster has provided guidance and helped develop the publishing packages and programs available through Archway Publishing, the actual services are provided by Author Solutions."

As with the other publisher-affiliated lines, Archway dangles the prospect that ASI "will alert Simon & Schuster to Archway Publishing titles that perform well in the market." S&S spokesman Adam Rothberg says they elected to work with ASI since "we thought they were the biggest and the best and have the most experience in offering this kind of hands-on publishing experience for authors." CEO Carolyn Reidy says in the press release: "Through Archway Publishing, Simon & Schuster is pleased to be part of the rapidly expanding self-publishing segment of our industry.... We're excited that we'll be able to help more authors find their own path to publication and at the same time create a more direct connection to those self-published authors ready to make the leap to traditional publishing."

People, Etc.

Anna deVries joined Picador as senior editor earlier in November, acquiring both nonfiction and fiction hardcovers and trade paperback originals, while also assisting in the publishing of paperback reprints. Most recently, she had worked at Scribner for seven years.

At Kobo, Pieter Swinkels has been promoted to vp, acquisition and "will be leading Kobo's global publisher outreach and content acquisition team" from their Toronto headquarters.

Julia Pastore has joined Demos Health as executive editor where she will help grow their list of trade health and self-help titles. She was a senior editor at Crown Archetype and Harmony Books.

Remembrances: Davis, Rosenblatt, Geiser and O'Connor

Chief financial officer of Random House Anne Davis, 50, passed away Monday after a battle with cancer. CEO Markus Dohle writes: "Anne was more than a brilliant CFO. She was our anchor, our heart, our inspiration. She not only made our company much more successful, she made it a better place to work, and for those of us who knew her personally, she made us better people." She joined the company in 1995 as assistant controller.

Hachette Book Group senior national accounts manager working with B&N Judy Rosenblatt passed away last weekend from ovarian cancer. A longtime member of the HBG sales team, she was honored with B&N's Rep of the Year award in 2010. "She will be greatly missed by many colleagues who worked closely with her and will remember her warmth and generosity, and of course, her passion for books."

Friends, colleagues and former students of the late Elizabeth Geiser, founding director of the Denver Publishing Institute, will gather to share memories honoring Elizabeth at a reception in New York on December 4 from 6 to 8 PM It will be at the Princeton Club, 15 W. 43 Street. An RSVP to Joyce.Meskis@du.edu would be appreciated.

A memorial service for editor, dance critic, poet, and author Patrick O'Connor will be held in New York on December 15 at 11 AM, at the Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, with a reception to follow. Additional celebrations of his life will be held in Los Angeles (on January 20) and Fort Lauderdale (on February 24).