People
Alessandra Bastagli has left her position as executive editor at Dey Street Books for a new opportunity to be announced shortly.
Distribution
Welbeck Publishing Group will be sold and distributed in the US by Two Rivers Distribution, starting July 2020.
Forthcoming
Dey Street Books will reportedly publish a biography of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle titled THOROUGHLY MODERN ROYALS: THE REAL WORLD OF HARRY AND MEGHAN by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand on August 11. The couple is said to have cooperated with the authors and provided an interview. The book was initially planned for June publication.
Relief
Laid off employees of Half Price Books launched a crowdfunding campaign with a goal of $250,000. They write on the fundraising page, “Funds will be distributed to laid off employees upon application for aid. From helping with the weekly grocery shopping to paying rent or medical bills, this fund is a mutual aid resource. We will take care of our own, and we thank you for any assistance you can provide.”
In early April, the company furloughed and/or outright fired 2,146 of their approximately 3,000 employees. (According to employees posting on Twitter, those who were fired also had their health insurance terminated immediately, with some saying, “The company flat out lied about when out healthcare coverage would end.”
The fundraising page notes: “Many of the people laid off had given decades of loyalty and passion to Half Price Books. Many of us were fervent defenders of the company right to the end. We worked for this company because we believed in the job, because we love books, and because we thought that Half Price Books cared about us.” (With 126 locations, Half Price Books is the single largest entity that is also a member of the American Booksellers Association.)