Here’s what’s happening this week in the book industry:

Penguin Random House is merging two of its publishing lines, Crown Publishing Group and Random House [5], in a new division, though the imprints will retain their editorial identities. The new division will be led by Gina Centrello, who has been named president and publisher; she is currently the president and publisher of Random House. As a result of the new structure, Maya Mavjee, Crown’s president and publisher, will leave the company.

On Monday, Simon & Schuster announced that titles from the company’s Touchstone imprint for 2019 and later will migrate to the Atria and Gallery lists [6]. Touchstone will continue to publish its forthcoming titles through the end of the year under its current structure and with the guidance of Scribner Group President and Touchstone Publisher Susan Moldow, who is retiring at the end of the year.

Consortium Book Sales and Distribution will begin distributing books from the National Association for the Education of Young Children [7] (NAEYC) on November 3. The Washington, D.C.-based organization promotes “high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age eight, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research.”

Irwin D. Simon, founder, president, and CEO of the Hain Celestial Group, has been named to Barnes & Noble’s board of directors [8]. Simon was recommended by Richard Schottenfeld, an investor who recently increased his stake in B&N to nearly seven percent. In June, Simon announced plans to step down as Hain Celestial’s CEO and become non-executive chairman once a new CEO is appointed.

Touchstone Editor-in-Chief Tara Parsons [9] will join the Harper One Group on October 29 as associate publisher for Amistad, Harper Español, and the international fiction program. She will report to Judith Curr.

At HarperCollins Children’s Books, Jean McGinley has been promoted [10] to vice president and associate publisher; Nancy Inteli has been promoted to vice president and editorial director; Erica Sussman has been promoted to vice president and publishing director; and Nellie Kurtzman has been promoted to vice president of marketing and publicity.

At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Jessi Smith has been promoted [11] to assistant editor for Simon Pulse; Jen Ung moves up to senior editor for Simon Pulse; Sally Hosokawa becomes assistant editor for Simon Spotlight; Sarah Jane Abbott has been promoted to associate editor for Paula Wiseman Books and Beach Lane Books; and Amy Beaudoin moves up to associate marketing manager, education and library.

In an October 20 op-ed for The Irish Times titled “Bookstores are one of the most important elements of any high street,” Bookselling Ireland chair John Keane discussed the importance of bookshops [12] big and small, writing, “With Brexit looming there is now more uncertainty on the challenges to bookselling…We are a nation known for fantastic writers and bookstores are part of our culture. If we value this we need to support our local stores.”

The Bookselling Without Borders Kickstarter campaign has raised more than $21,800 of its $20,000 goal [13], with a little more than 30 hours to go. The campaign was created to help fund 16 fellowships to four international fairs next year and two bookstore residencies, in Italy and India.

The November 11 deadline is approaching for Independent We Stand’s eighth annual Indie Award competition [14], in which individuals nominate and vote online [15] for their favorite small business. This year’s winner will receive a $25,000 prize package that includes a comprehensive marketing makeover.

The American Library Association (ALA) has announced the shortlists for its 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction [16]. For nonfiction, the shortlist includes Dopesick by Beth Macy (Little, Brown); Heavy by Kiese Laymon (Scribner); and The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantu (Riverhead). For fiction, the shortlist includes The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (Viking); There There by Tommy Orange (Knopf); and Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (Knopf).

This year’s “intensely political” shortlist for the 2018 T.S. Eliot Prize [17]has been announced. Among the works up for the £25,000 award are two poetry collections by American authors: Wade in the Water by U.S. poet laureate Tracy K Smith and American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin by poet Terrance Hayes (both published by Penguin). Also on the list are debut collections by poets Zaffar Kunial, Fiona Moore, Phoebe Power, Richard Scott, and Hannah Sullivan.

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