October 4, 2026

Big Moves

Last week, Hachette Book Group announced a slew of high-profile job moves, including Grand Central publisher Ben Sevier taking over as CEO of the company in January, as David Shelley transitions to a new role at Hachette Livre. Scholastic agreed to acquire Cottage Door Press, in a deal that will significantly expand its catalog for very young readers. Publishers and authors praised a Third Circuit court ruling that found unauthorized copying by an AI company was not protected by fair use in a case brought by Thomas Reuters, the first such decision by a federal appeals judge. And illustrated publisher Quarto Group found its new U.S. president in IBPA CEO Andrea Fleck-Nisbet.

On September 25, author Shelby Van Pelt (r.) celebrated the October 6 release of the collector’s edition of Remarkably Bright Creatures (Ecco) at Books-A-Million’s headquarters in Birmingham, Ala. Pictured with her (from l. to r.) are BAM’s Elizabeth Guarnieri, Livi Thrasher, Brittany Smith, and Sheridan Smith, and HarperCollins’s Michael Morris.

Photo by Heather Bullard

Ben Sevier Named HBG CEO as David Shelley Moves Up at Hachette Livre

After three years helming both Hachette Book Group and Hachette UK, Shelley will take on a new role as global advisor to Hachette Livre’s top brass. Among a host of changes, Sevier, currently president and publisher of Grand Central Publishing, will become CEO of HBG, starting January 1. more

Scholastic Agrees to Buy Cottage Door Press for $71 Million

Scholastic has significantly added to its early childhood offerings, reaching an agreement to acquire Cottage Door Press. When the sale closes later this year, Scholastic plans to allow the children’s book publisher to continue to operate with complete freedom. Cottage Door has “a great entreprenurial spirit and we want that to continue,” said Scholastic’s Sasha Quinton. more

AAP, Authors Guild Applaud Decision in ROSS Copyright Infringement Case

An appeals judge backed a Delaware court ruling that found the now-defunct AI startup’s unauthorized copying of text from Thomson Reuters’s Westlaw platform was not fair use. The leaders of both the AAP and Authors Guild praised the decision and cited its importance in protecting a growing licensing market for publishers’ content. more

Quarto Group Taps IBPA’s Andrea Fleck-Nisbet to Lead U.S. Division

The CEO of the Independent Book Publishers Association has been appointed president of Quarto Group U.S., the stateside arm of the independent publisher of illustrated books, effective November 2. more

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