Penguin Random House US ceo Madeline McIntosh wrote to staff on Wednesday morning about the company’s extensive thinking on “planning for the next normal,” which includes hopes for a modest reopening of offices later this year, along with a commitment to support work from home on an ongoing basis. She wrote, “The current thinking is that we will begin to expand access to our various offices—for those who need to use them—in September,” though that “is very much subject to change” based on public health guidance. “Even once the building opens, we’ll need to be cautious in how we inhabit […]
Archives for April 2021
Lagardere Agrees to New Corporate Structure, Will Keep Group Intact For now
As previewed earlier in the week, Arnaud Lagardere and the principal shareholders in Lagardere have reached an agreement that would end the special corporate structure under which Mr. Lagardere has controlled the company, despite owning only 7 percent of the public shares. Lagardere’s holding company is “relinquishing their rights” in exchange for 10 million new shares in the public company — worth a little over 230 million euros at current prices, and doubling their current stake after the dilution — and he will serve as chief executive for the duration of his current six-year term as a board member. While […]
People, Etc.
At Scholastic Trade, Klutz publisher and creative director Netta Rabin will take over as leader of te line, reporting to Ellie Berger. She succeeds Stacy Lellos, president of Klutz, who is stepping down on May 31 to seek new opportunities. Vanessa Han has been promoted to art director, Klutz; Emily Heddleson to director, library & educational marketing; Vicki Kopidakis to marketing associate, advertising; Taylan Salvati to senior publicist; Sydney Tillman to senior publicist; Jordana Kulak to associate publicist; Susan Lee to associate production director; Melissa Schirmer to senior production editor; Maya Marlette to editor, Scholastic Press; Tiffany Colón to associate editor, Scholastic Press; […]
Henkin’s Morningside Heights Tops June Indie Next List
The ABA named Joshua Henkin‘s Morningside Heights as the No. 1 pick for the June Indie Next list. Read an excerpt now in our Buzz Books 2021 Spring/Summer sampler. The rest of the picks: Malibu Rising, by Taylor Jenkins Reid The Other Black Girl, by Zakiya Dalila Harris One Last Stop, by Casey McQuiston Animal, by Lisa Taddeo Legends of the North Cascades, by Jonathan Evison The Maidens, by Alex Michaelides Unsettled Ground, by Claire Fuller The Soulmate Equation, by Christina Lauren The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu, by Tom Lin House of Sticks, by Ly Tran The Chosen and […]
Norton Will Put Bailey’s Roth Biography and Memoir Out of Print
In a memo to staff on Tuesday afternoon, Norton announced that it is “permanently putting out of print” Blake Bailey’s Philip Roth: The Biography, as well as his memoir The Splendid Things We Planned. Norton president Julia Reidhead wrote, “Mr. Bailey will be free to seek publication elsewhere if he chooses.” By Wednesday the ebook version was withdrawn from sale. And Norton’s audiobook licensee Recorded Books tells PL, “We will follow Norton’s lead on this and remove the audio from sale as well.” Will Norton recall the existing print copies? They declined to say. For now, hardcovers remain available online. […]
Adult and Overall Hardcover Sales Gain in AAP February StatShot
AAP released its February StatShot of publisher-reported sales, showing combined adult and children’s book sales of $580 million, up from $484 million. Adult books led the gains again, with net sales of $413 million, up from $338 million a year ago. In a signal of some strength for new releases, adult hardcover sales of $121 million accounted for much of the increase, up over $31 million compared to last year. Children’s hardcovers were up over $11 million, at $69.5 million for the period. Digital formats continued their trend of gains, with ebook sales still rising, at $94 million, up from […]