Publishers Lunch

Today's Meal

People, Etc.

Taylor & Francis has hired Annie Callanan to take over as ceo, succeeding Roger Horton. Most recently ceo of healthcare company Quantros, Callanan had been ceo at Bowker and chief operating officer at ProQuest.

Shigenori Hamaguchi has joined HarperCollins Japan in the new position of publishing director, reporting to Frank Foley. Most recently, he was editor-in-chief for Elle Decor Japan.

Kristi Smith has been promoted to director of marketing for Thomas Nelson's W Publishing Group.

Carol Burrell has joined Workman Children's as senior editor. Most recently, she was a freelancer, with prior experience as the editorial director for Graphic Universe, the graphic novel division of Lerner Publishing Group. JT Green has joined Workman Publishing as national accounts sales associate, responsible for selling Barnes & Noble College and managing Workman's relationship with Nook and BN.com. Previously, he worked in sales for Abrams.

In the Netherlands, Mizzi van der Pluijm is stepping down as publishing director of Atlas-Contact. Chris Herschdorfer, previously publishing director of Ambo Anthos, will succeed her starting August 1.

Bookselling
Miami's Bookstore in the Grove was purchased by real estate developer Amanda De Seta, founder of Lointerhome. "As a developer, I see where the Grove is heading, with new residential towers being built and high-worth individuals coming in. I view the space not just as a bookstore or cafe, but as a community center. The Grove doesn’t need a big-box anything. It needs a quirky, well-curated place to buy books." The store has already started renovating, a process scheduled to be completed by the fall, but will remain open during the process, with a "grand reopening" on July 7.

Kepler's Books officially separated its programming into the non-profit Kepler's Literary Foundation, fully funded by donations with no more support from the store. Jean Forstner serves as executive director, supported by two full-time staffers and three part-timers, and "is solely in charge of producing events and community programs featured at the bookstore and off-site locations."

Kepler's Books ceo Praveen Madan recently signed a new five-year lease and noted that since January, entry-level workers begin at $15 an hour (which turns into $16.44 with profit-sharing). "By having people with longer tenures … that experience translates into stronger business performance. It also helps that we’re the best-paying bookstore in the entire Bay Area, probably the entire country at this point. … We're playing catch-up. People have been underpaid in this industry for a very long time."

New bookstore Harper's Books opened Wednesday in Lebanon, TN. The store will carry new and used books, with a large children's section and a book ordering program for customers.