BTW News Briefs

Philip Rafshoon Named Program Director for Decatur Book Festival

Philip Rafshoon, who was the owner of Atlanta’s now-closed Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse, will become program director for AJC Decatur Book Festival, effective January 1, 2013. Rafshoon will replace young adult author Terra Elan McVoy, who held the position for two years and is resigning to dedicate more time to her career as a novelist.

“Philip has some big shoes to fill, but I cannot imagine a better-suited person for the job,” said Daren Wang, AJC DBF executive director. “I’ve known Philip for more than 15 years and have admired his work in the book industry and in the community. He has been a lynchpin in the Atlanta book landscape for two decades. I went to Philip in the earliest days of DBF planning for advice, and I feel I still can learn a lot from him. I think he’ll help grow this festival in fresh new ways.”

Rafshoon said, “In a short seven years, the Decatur Book Festival has grown very quickly into one of the premier book festivals in the country and has helped showcase and enhance the great way of life in Decatur and the metropolitan Atlanta area. As a longtime supporter, I am thrilled to join this team as program director and use my experience to help grow the festival to even greater success and showcase the diverse literature and culture we provide to an ever-expanding audience.”

Scarletta Press Rebrands, Adds Imprints

Minnesota independent publisher Scarletta Press, founded in 2005, is changing its company name to Scarletta and adding four imprints — Scarletta Press, Scarletta Junior Readers, Scarletta Kids, and Red Portal Press — each focusing on specific genres and ages.

Scarletta Press will continue to feature adult titles while narrowing its genre focus. The Junior Readers imprint will focus on fiction and non-fiction books for middle-grade readers, while Scarletta Kids will offer picture and story books for ages 0 to 8. Red Portal Press is a hybrid self-publishing imprint involving trade distribution, which started this past fall.

Scarletta’s spring 2013 title list features 6 titles across three of its imprints, with the majority of authors being from Minnesota.