People, Awards, Etc

PublishersLunch

Writers House announced that Geri Thoma and Lisa DiMona have joined the agency. Thoma, who joins on March 18, was previously partner at Markson Thoma, while DiMona, who will start on April 8, was founder and sole proprietor of Lark Productions, a literary agency and book development company established in 1998. "We are delighted that Geri and Lisa are joining our growing team of agents. Their expertise in nonfiction will complement our list and enlarge the scope of the agency," said Writers House chairman Amy Berkower in a statement. In addition, Stephen Barr was recently promoted to senior agent, while Brianne Johnson moves up to agent.

Publisher of Vintage Anchor Books Anne Messitte has been named evp of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group as well. Continuing her responsibilities for Vintage Anchor, she will also "broaden the strategic role she plays in our publishing group, working closely" with chairman and editor-in-chief Sonny Mehta, group rresident Tony Chirico and others "to define opportunities and manage change as we continue to successfully grow our business."

At Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, editorial director of Mariner and director of Tolkien Projects Ken Carpenter now adds editorial director of CliffsNotes to his title, with Cliffs executive editor Greg Tubach reporting to him. Deanne Urmy has been promoted to senior executive editor, and senior executive editor for cookbooks Rux Martin formally takes the title of editorial director of the Rux Martin Books imprint.

At becker & mayer!, Stephanie Swane was promoted to the new position of director of sales & licensing. In addition, Barney Duly has joined as international sales manager, reporting to Swane and based in the UK. Previously he was head of foreign rights at Carlton Books.

Harlequin is adding more than 12,000 titles to Ingram's MyiLibrary platform. 

Yale's new Wyndham Campbell prizes have provided nine writers with awards of $150,000 each. Tom McCarthy, James Salter, Zoe Wicomb are the three fiction honorees; Adina Hoffman, Jeremy Scahill and Jonny Steinberg were the nonfiction honorees; and three other prizes were given to drama writers. As Yale explained in a release: "Established professionals in each category are asked to nominate names for consideration, and a selection committee meets at Yale to name up to nine writers to receive prizes."

Andrew Preston won the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Nonfiction for Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith: Religion in American War and Diplomacy.

Book fairs like the steady drip of announcments, and next month's London Book Fair is no exception: William Boyd and Liz Pichon will be the authors of the day, not to be confused with the already announced Tuesday Market Focus Author of the Day, Elif Shafak.