Three employees of Wayne State University Press who were fired earlier this month will return to work on Tuesday. The university let go editor-in-chief Annie Martin; design and production manager Kristin Harpster; and sales/marketing director Emily Nowak on February 14 without providing a reason. The firings resulted in a public outcry, including from the editorial board and sixty writers, editors and people who are affiliated with the press. Additionally, The Detroit News reports that a representative for Wayne State said the university re-hired interim director Kathryn Wildfong to make personnel decisions moving forward. In advance of the London Book Fair, […]
Archives for February 2020
Briefs: Bologna Book Fair Postponed
Bologna Children’s Book Fair, due to open on March 30, has been postponed to May 4 – May 7 due to the spread of coronavirus/COVID-19 to Italy, where five people have died of the virus so far. A note on the fair’s website says, “We will be releasing further organizational details in a few hours.” Hallmark is launching a line of mass market paperbacks in partnership with Walmart on February 25. One Hallmark romance novel will be highlighted each week, beginning with Country Hearts by Cindi Madsen. Stacey Donovan, director, Hallmark Publishing, said in the release, “We believe Walmart shoppers […]
Pearson’s Profits Down By Half
Pearson released 2019 preliminary results February 21, with sales decreasing to £3.87 billion from £4.13 billion in 2018. The bigger headline was operating profit, which fell by more than half, to £275 million from £553 million in 2018. Earnings per share fell even more, due to a one-time tax benefit the year before and higher net interest payable. The decline included £159 million in restructuring charges. Pearson’s stock traded fell over 5 percent today on the poor news, down to its lowest level in many years. Pearson had already reduced their 2020 guidance in an understated — and unrealistic — […]
People, Etc.
At Bonnier Books UK, Ciara Lloyd has been promoted to editorial director at John Blake Publishing. Beth Eynon becomes senior editor at Blink Publishing. Madiya Altaf moves up to to assistant editor at Blink Publshing. Marina de Pass and Niamh O’Grady have both been promoted to associate agent at The Soho Agency. Former longtime editor at St. Martin’s Hope Dellon, 67, died recently. There is a service on Sunday. Author Charles Finch remembers her in this thread online. Imprints Flatiron Books has paired with the iHeartPodcast Network for a new imprint called Stuff You Should Read: An iHeartBook. The line […]
Simon & Schuster Has Weaker Finish
Simon & Schuster’s remarkable streak of 19 consecutive quarters of earnings growth came to an end in the fourth quarter of 2019, reported this morning by new parent company ViacomCBS. Sales for the quarter were $215 million (down from $218 million in 2018, and $235 million in 2017), with adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization [OIBDA] of $34 million, a sharper decline from $48 million at the end of 2018. For the full year, sales fell $9 million to $814 million, and adjusted OIBDA of $143 million was $10 million lower. (Note that this is a revised way of […]
Schwartz and Wade to Establish Separate Imprints at Random House Children’s
Random House Children’s is discontinuing Schwartz & Wade Books, with the imprint’s final list publishing in Spring 2021. Anne Schwartz and Lee Wade, will each become vice president and publisher of their own imprint, Anne Schwartz Books and Random House Studio, respectively. Anne Schwartz Books will focus on “publishing critically acclaimed titles by renowned authors and illustrators, and introducing innovative talent.” It will publish picture books as well as select middle-grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction titles. Random House Studio will publish “picture books with a strong and recognizable aesthetic” and also “other formats, especially books with an illustrative […]