Ballantine Bantam Dell executive vice president and publisher Libby McGuire will leave the company at the end of the year in order to “dedicate her time to seeking and creating new professional opportunities for herself,” RH Publishing Group president and publisher Gina Centrello writes. She notes McGuire’s departure “with great respect for those accomplishments, and for her wish to reenvision her career.” McGuire has spent more than 15 years at what became Ballantine Bantam Dell; her direct reports will report to Gina Centrello for an interim period. “Libby and her world-class publishing team are admired industry-wide for the creativity and care […]
Archives for November 2015
Quarterly Briefs: Continued Improvement For Indigo; Quarto Stays Flat
Canada’s Indigo reported second quarter results on Tuesday, with sales rising $16.7 million (CA), or 8.8 percent, to $206 million, and a reduced net loss of $1.8 million, compared to a loss of $8.5 million a year ago. As in the previous year, “revenue growth was driven by the continued double digit growth of the general merchandise business” mainly in “paper and toys,” with changes to the paper business to account for the weakness of the Canadian dollar. The company’s core book business growth also got a big boost “by the trend for adult coloring books,” while reducing costs related […]
Simon & Schuster Has Modest Gain in Third Quarter
After four straight quarters of declining sales, Simon & Schuster gained $4 million (or 2 percent) in the third quarter, with sales of $203 million. (While that’s an improvement from $199 million in the same quarter a year ago, it’s still well below where third quarter sales have been previously: $224 million recorded in 2013, $220 million in 2012, and $210 million in 2011.) More consistent are the division’s profits, which have remained robust even as sales have generally ebbed over recent quarters: They had OIBDA of $42 million in the third quarter, up $1 million from the previous year, and operating income […]
People, Etc.
Janklow & Nesbit Associates announced what they call “a new ownership and management structure.” Luke Janklow, Anne Sibbald, Cullen Stanley, Bennett Ashley, PJ Mark and Dmitri Chitov were all elected partners, and together they comprise the board of directors. Daily management of the firm will be handled by managing directors Sibbald, Stanley, and Ashley, and president Luke Janklow, who says, “This new structure promotes greater expansion for the firm and builds upon our wonderful legacy.” Founding partners Morton Janklow and Lynn Nesbit will continue to represent their lists. Janklow says, “I am pleased to hand over the operation and further growth of the firm to long-time […]
Amazon Expands Paid Maternity Leave
After mixed results from trying to show what a great employer they are by discrediting former employees with details from their personnel files, Amazon is taking a more productive tack in providing a better work environment. According to an internal email obtained by Jezebel, the company is expanding its leave for new parents — offering up to 20 weeks of paid leave for birth mothers, and a new six-week leave for all new parents. They have also added a “leave share” program that can be shared with partners at other companies. Another new element according to the email is an […]
Amazon Books — The Bookstore — to Open in Seattle’s University Village
Amazon is indeed opening a 5,500-square-foot bookstore, carrying a modest 5,000 to 6,000 titles — all face out — in Seattle’s University Village on Tuesday, with 15 employees under the direction of Amazon Books vp Jennifer Cast. Store stocking is based on “data with heart,” she tells the Seattle Times. “We’re taking the data we have and we’re creating physical places with it.” That data includes such categories as top pre-orders and “most wished for cookbooks.” And “below each book on the shelf is a card with either a review or a rating from the site.” The staff favorites selection begins with […]