TG Jones Restructuring Plan Expected to Win Approval This Week
The draconian restructuring plan to keep UK bookstore chain TG Jones (FKA WH Smith) operating is expected to win court approval after hearings Monday and Tuesday, as at least some creditor groups have agreed to accept owner Modella Capital’s terms. Unnamed sources have told the media (including the Telegraph, Bloomberg and the Guardian) that “a number of key creditor groups, landlords among them, have accepted TG Jones’ proposal before the court hearing.” Property development company British Land, after loudly objecting, “said it would…abstain from voting following what it described as material concessions from TG Jones to treat landlords more fairly.” […]
Wynn-Williams Sues Meta To Overturn CARELESS PEOPLE Gag Order
Careless People author Sarah Wynn-Williams is suing Meta to overturn the gag order that prevents her from talking about her whistleblowing book. The day after the publication of Careless People in March 2025, an arbitrator ruled that Wynn-Williams discussing or otherwise promoting her book would violate the non-disparagement agreement she signed when Facebook fired her in 2017. The order remains in effect and Wynn-Williams appeared silently at the UK’s Hay Festival in May. The lawsuit claims that Meta is “punishing” Wynn-Williams for speaking to lawmakers and writing her book about Meta’s problematic workplace culture, including sexual harassment from her superiors, […]
S&S Enters Multi-Year Mister Rogers Partnership
Simon & Schuster Children’s has expanded its partnership with Fred Rogers Productions to publish books “inspired by Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” starting in fall 2027. S&S already publishes books from Mister Rogers spin-off Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. “Simon & Schuster has been an exceptional partner since our first Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood title was published in 2014,” Fred Rogers Productions senior director of licensing Katie Huber said in a release. “We’re delighted to expand our collaboration with them for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and to work together to deliver even more ways for parents, teachers, and librarians to help children learn and grow from […]
The Edit: Featuring Kathleen Schmidt
Welcome back to The Edit, our monthly column about the forthcoming books everyone in publishing is actually reading. This month, we’re featuring Kathleen Schmidt, the longtime publicist who runs Kathleen Schmidt Public Relations and writes a publishing newsletter on Substack called Publishing Confidential. Schmidt recommends two summer reads. The first is Crash Into Me by Robinne Lee (St. Martin’s, 7/7). Schmidt writes, “I was a big fan of Lee’s debut, The Idea of You, which is also a movie (and I loved it). Crash Into Me centers on Cecilia Chen, who is in the throes of motherhood, wifedom, and artistry. […]