Barnes & Noble has demanded a jury trial to fight former employee Barbara Tavres’ claim that the company violated state and federal labor law by discriminating against her and other employees on the basis of age. In a response filed January 13 in the Northern District of California, BN denied all Tavres’ claims, writing repeatedly that “Plaintiff’s performance reviews speak for themselves.” They insist that no basis for a class action exists, writing that, “Any and all employment actions taken with respect to plaintiff and the putative class were not based on any discriminatory motive or in retaliation for any […]
Archives for January 2020
People: Rubin to Leave Holt
Following the appointment of Amy Einhorn as president and publisher of Holt last September, the publisher’s chairman Steve Rubin will move on. He writes, “I have just celebrated my tenth anniversary at Henry Holt and, after considerable thought, have decided this is the perfect time to move on. My time here has been among the happiest in my career because not only has Holt been reborn and reenergized, but also working at Macmillan has been so satisfying. I spent 30 years at various incarnations of Bantam Doubleday Dell and Random House, and while I was for the most part very […]
French Trade Magazine Plans Big Layoffs
France’s book publishing trade magazine Livres Hebdo announced on December 30 a reorganization that if enacted would eliminate half of their editorial staff (seven out of fourteen people, including four of six editors), according to an online petition launched two days ago. That proposal would be finalized in February. The company says it plans to focus on digital news, and the magazine will become monthly by September. Parent company Electre said in a statement that the changes are needed “in order to adapt to changes in customer demand and restore its economic balance.” An online petition says, “It is to […]
People, Etc.
Lisa Donovan, vice president and executive managing editor at Simon & Schuster Children’s will retire on March 20, after 20 years with the company. Jon Anderson, president and publishers of S&S Children’s said in the announcement, “It is no exaggeration to say that for twenty years, Lisa has been the nexus of the entire Children’s Publishing Division. Her flawless supervision of a massively talented staff of managing editors, production editors, copyeditors and proofreaders has shepherded from manuscript to finished book at least 15,000 titles in every one of our huge variety of publishing formats.” At Harper Children’s, Audrey Steuerwald has […]
Audible and Publishers Settle Captions Dispute
After an encouraging update in late December, Audible reports to federal judge Valerie Caproni that the company has finalized a settlement with the seven AAP publishers that sued to block the digital audio company’s planned Captions features. Audible attorney Emily Reisbaum wrote on behalf of all parties on January 13, the date an update had been promised: “We are pleased to inform the Court that the parties have resolved their disputes. The parties respectfully request until January 21 to allow the parties to obtain signatures on the settlement documents and submit them to the Court for its consideration and approval.” […]
Bookselling: Bankrupt Book People Fires More People; Book Culture Landlord Supports A Bookstore — with A Different Operator
Insolvent UK retailer The Book People has been unable to find a buyer for the business, and another 82 people at their main warehouse were fired last Friday as a result. Since going to bankruptcy administration, the company has let go over 150 people from a staff of just under 400 — meaning more jobs remain on the line as PricewaterhouseCoopers winds down operations. Separately, the landlord for the seized Book Culture space on Columbus Avenue in NYC tells the Gothamist, “Our intention is to keep that space as a bookstore and we’re working hard to do that. It just […]