BTW News Briefs

Kodak, On Demand Books, and ReaderLink Announce Partnership

Eastman Kodak Company is partnering with On Demand Books and ReaderLink to create digital-to-print media centers at stores with Kodak Picture Kiosks that will utilize On Demand Books’ Espresso Book Machine®.

On Demand Books is also working with ReaderLink to bring in-copyright titles to non-trade bookseller channel, including mass market, club, drug, and grocery chains.

Kodak said the integration of the Espresso Book Machine and EspressNet® with the Kodak Picture Kiosk will enable consumers to print and bind paperback photo books using Kodak Printers in minutes and will give them access to more than seven million in-copyright or public domain books via On Demand’s digital database.

Pietsch to Succeed Young as CEO or Hachette Book Group

On Monday, Hachette Livre announced that effective April 1, 2013, Michael Pietsch, currently executive vice president of Hachette Book Group (HBG) and publisher of Little, Brown and Company, will succeed David Young as chief executive officer of HBG.  Pietsch, who will assume full responsibility for the company’s profitability and direction, will report to Young.

After seven years at the helm of HBG, Young is returning to the U.K. to be with his family.  He will remain chairman of HBG and will return to the U.S. approximately one week per month.  Young will assume the role of deputy chief executive of Hachette U.K. and chief executive officer of The Orion Publishing Group, a division of Hachette U.K.

Ken Michaels, HBG’s chief operating officer, has been promoted to president and chief operating officer. 

Penguin to Launch Graphic Novel Imprint

Next month Penguin Group (USA)’s Berkley/NAL Division will launch InkLit, a new graphic novel imprint under the direction of Richard Johnson, co-founder of Yen Press.

InkLit will launch on October 2 with the release of Alpha and Omega: Volume 1 by Patricia Briggs with artwork by Todd Herman, an adaptation of Cry Wolf (Ace 2008), the first book in the Alpha and Omega series, a spin-off from Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series.