People: Executive Appointments at Random House Canada and S&S Canada

Publishers Lunch

Louise Dennys will step aside from the day-to-day management of the Knopf Random Canada Publishing Group "to have the freedom to focus more fully on what she loves best: working directly with writers of both fiction and non-fiction and bringing their books to readers." Dennys will have the new role of executive publisher, Random House of Canada, "designed especially to harness her great strengths in national and international book publishing." Company ceo Brad Martin writes, "There are few who can rival Louise’s taste and judgment as an editor and publisher, and the impact she has had on Canadian publishing is immeasurable."

Kristin Cochrane has been promoted to the new position of president and publisher of Random House of Canada. She adds oversight of Knopf Canada, Random House Canada and Vintage Canada to her existing portfolio (Anchor Canada, Appetite by Random House, Bond Street Books, Doubleday Canada, Emblem, Fenn, McClelland & Stewart, Signal and Tundra Books). Knopf Random Canada publisher Anne Collins and Vintage Canada publisher Marion Garner will both now report to Cochrane, as will Louise Dennys.

One-time publisher at House of Anansi Martha Sharpe will join Simon & Schuster Canada as editorial director on November 18. For the past seven years, she has been editing and consulting in New York. Sharpe say, "I am thrilled to be joining Simon & Schuster Canada precisely when it is starting to grow and expand, and I'm grateful for this wonderful opportunity to once again work with Canadian writers."

In other personnel news, Andrew Malkin has joined RR Donnelley heading up business development for their digital subsidiary, Helium Content Source, specializing in content marketing and custom publishing for enterprise clients. Previously, he ran business development for Innodata.

In awards news, the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature was awarded to Matti Friedman for THE ALEPPO CODEX (Algonquin). The winner and finalists will be celebrated at a ceremony in Jerusalem on January 21.

Claire Vaye Watkins won the Dylan Thomas Prize, given to the best work of literature published by an author under the age of 30, for her debut short story collection BATTLEBORN (Riverhead).