Cengage Learning is restructuring to consolidate its business units into “one streamlined operating group” and two key executives are leaving as a result. They are bringing together their academic and professional group, the Gale library/reference division, and their international operations and say the transition “is expected to be completed in September.” President of Gale Patrick Sommers will retire at the end of July, and president of academic and professional group Ron Mobed will leave the company. A new executive committee includes ceo Ron Dunn; Adrian Butler, Executive Vice President, Human Resources; Ken Carson, General Counsel; Dean Durbin, Chief Financial Officer; […]
Archives for July 2010
More On Penguin Canada
Penguin Group ceo John Makinson and Penguin USA ceo David Shanks further addressed some of the company’s recent changes in Canada in a phone interview yesterday (as well as in interviews with Canadian media, excerpted below). Makinson underscored that the board-in-formation for Penguin Canada “is not going to run anything” and the job of the new board chairman, who has been identified but is still resolving other commitments, “will not be an executive function.” While the new post “will be a part-time role,” Makinson sees the board as a providing “a really useful way of thinking” about strategic issues and […]
Charlesbridge Acquires Imagine
Imagine Publishing, started last year by Charles and Jeremy Nurnberg after they left Sterling, has been acquired by Charlesbridge Publishing. Both men will remain with the Imagine imprint, with Charles as publisher and Jeremy as vp of sales. Imagine titles will start shipping immediately from the Charlesbridge warehouse in Massachusetts. Charles Nurnberg says in the announcement, “Our growing success motivated us to seek a publisher that could handle the needs of our expanding list. Charlesbridge has the full range of promotional and distribution capabilities that Imagine needs.” Charlesbridge president Brent Farmer says, “we look forward to enhancing the enduring relationships […]
eNews: Borders Opens eStore; Amazon Has Apparently Patented Nook-Like Technology; Samsung Retreats from US Market
Borders officially launched “their” ebookstore, which puts a Borders veneer on a Kobo-powered store, and innocently announces that their “goal is to secure a 17 percent share of the eBook market by July 2011.” (The company still estimates that they have about 15 percent of the overall US book market, even as their sales have declined. With US sales for the most recent fiscal year of $2.65 billion, if you figure that roughly 70 percent of their sales are books–or $1.85 billion–their market share estimate is based on a book market of only $12 billion, as opposed to the more […]
People and More: Schnittman to New Bloomsbury Post, Harper Uses NetGalley; and Much More
Oxford University Press vp of corporate and business development (and thus digital dealmaker) Evan Schnittman is joining Bloomsbury in newly-created position of managing director, group sales and marketing, print and digital, starting August 2. He will lead Bloomsbury’s sales and marketing in the UK, US, and Germany across all divisions of the group, and will take a lead role in Bloomsbury’s digital efforts. Chief executive Nigel Newton, to whom Schnittman reports, underscores in the announcement, “The creation of the role of a worldwide head of sales and marketing and the appointment of a highly experienced American with considerable digital experience […]
Penguin Canada Gets A New Local, Non-Canadian Boss, As Rundle’s Lawsuit Is Settled–And She’ll Return to Work
Penguin has appointed president of Penguin India Mike Bryan as the new president of Penguin Canada, starting in August. A thirty-year veteran of the company, Bryan was Penguin’s international sales and marketing director before taking over the Indian unit in 2007, started Penguin Singapore and Malaysia, and “was fundamental to the development of Penguin’s international operations, setting up companies in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.” As previously announced, he will report to Penguin USA ceo David Shanks. To appease local concerns over any diminishment of Penguin Canada’s role, the company is forming a Penguin Canada Board “which will […]