Penguin India’s recent decision to withdraw Wendy Doniger’s HINDUS: An Alternative History nearly five years after its 2009 publication has naturally attracted attention and controversy. The publisher agreed to immediately withdraw and pulp Doniger’s book, ensuring it is fully removed from the market in India over the next six months, after reaching a legal settlement with an organization called Shiksha Bachao Andolan. The group found the book insulting to Hindus and had waged a three-year court battle in India with the publisher, bringing both civil and criminal actions. The settlement does not affect editions published outside of India, so the […]
Archives for February 2014
People
Paula Deen has partnered with private equity firm Najafi Media “to build and grow her business, Paula Deen Ventures.” That new holding company has hired Steven Nanula from Paula Deen Food Company as ceo. The WSJ puts the investment at between $75 million and $100 million. Jahm Najafi says in the announcement, “We know that the enterprise will be successful and valuable, as Paula and her team continue to bring quality products and experiences to her loyal fan base.” A few days ago, Deen was in Clarence, NY outside of Buffalo to celebrate the opening of her retail headquarters, which […]
Survey Casts Doubt On Amazon’s Ability to Raise Prime Price
UBS issued a rare downgrade on Amazon’s stock, with analyst Eric Sheridan basing part of that call on a recent survey to explore whether the company could charge more for Prime. On Amazon’s recent fourth quarter earnings call, the company said it was considering raising the annual fee by $20 to $40. Sheridan writes: “Our survey results call into question our prior views about the value that a broad set of consumers are applying to the current iteration of Amazon Prime.” He adds, “We were negatively surprised by the results of the survey.” The downgrade and survey weighed on Amazon’s […]
Tech Blogs and Wall Street Get A Little Carried Away On Nook Layoffs
It’s hard to get a clear story on the latest layoffs at Barnes & Noble. As we first reported last Friday, employees were told of some additional reductions last Thursday that included the elimination of the Nook accessories (as well as its leader). We were told informally that some Nook channel sales people were also let go (plus a director not connected to Nook). On Monday, Business Insider ran an erroneous story based on an email from an unidentified person claiming the company “fired its Nook hardware engineering staff” on Thursday. Dutifully ricocheted by most every tech blog in the […]
People, Etc.
After more than two years at HarperCollins, where she was executive editor at It Books, Esther Margolis is leaving the company on February 14 and reclaiming the Newmarket Press. She will establish a new publishing and media venture to agent, package and consult on books, publishing, marketing and cross-media strategies, especially in the film and entertainment area. Margolis founded Newmarket Press in 1981 and sold the company and backlist to Harper in 2011. She will assume full rights to the Newmarket Press name and logo after the fall season launch. At Inkwell Literary Management, Allison Hunter and Lauren Smythe have […]
Bookselling: Chapitre Closes 23 of 57 Stores, Eliminates Over 400 Jobs; and More
France’s bankrupt second-largest bookstore chain Chapitre completed its dissolution with the court approved sale of 8 more stores, and the formal closure of the remaining 23 locations they were unable to sell, out of a total of 57 branches. France’s Les Echos says 434 jobs will be eliminated as a result — including 100 jobs at company headquarters — or a third of their workforce. Chapitre’s owner Actissia announced last summer that it intended to sell the chain outright and, if it could not find a buyer, would close all stores by summer 2014. Eleven stores had closed last December, with […]