Two lengthy articles, first in the Denverite and now in The Denver Post, have documented significant complaints from employees at Denver Bookstore chain The Tattered Cover and continuing friction with new ceo Kwame Spearman. Staff have reportedly been voicing concerns about pay, increased responsibilities and burnout for months, as the store has expanded rapidly into new locations and pop-ups. Spearman took over in December 2020, when he and investor group Bended Page LLC bought the store from co-owners Len Vlahos and Kristen Gilligan. Last summer Tattered Cover’s former human resources director Sarah Heath “filed a complaint against Spearman accusing him […]
Archives for February 2022
People 2/14
Forthcoming: Trump Administration COVID Adviser Dr. Deborah Birx
Harper announced that it will publish a memoir by former White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx. Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of The Trump Administration, COVID-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It’s Too Late will publish on April 26. SVP & director of creative development Lisa Sharkey acquired the book, with Matt Harper editing, represented by Jeff Carneal. In a statement, Birx said: “I wrote ‘Silent Invasion’ to document the full extent of what I witnessed as I tried to save lives during this devastating time. In the book, I expose the true cost of mistakes that were […]
People 2/11
Indigo Sales Back to 2018 Levels
Indigo announced results for their fiscal third quarter ending January 1, with sales of CA$431 million, up from $365 million last year and $384 million in 2019. (This is their fiscal 2022; but we’re using calendar years here for simplicity.) The company is back to its 2018 holiday sales level of $426 million, before its pre-pandemic decline, attributed to “a renewed interest in reading” and strong sales in the company’s lifestyle and toy businesses. Net earnings were $45.1 million, up from $30.7 million last year. The company’s shares rose sharply on the strong holiday sales report, gaining about 24 percent […]
Forbes List of America’s Best Midsize Employers Includes PRH, Scholastic, S&S, and More
Forbes released its list of the 500 Best Midsize Employers, including several publishers. Penguin Random House ranked #4; Scholastic ranked #41; McGraw Hill ranked #277; Simon & Schuster ranked #342, making the list for the first time; and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ranked #420. Forbes and market research company Statista compiled the list by “surveying 60,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees.” Respondents were asked “to rate, on a scale of zero to ten, how likely they’d be to recommend their employer.” Additionally, they rated factors like working conditions, development opportunities, compensation, and diversity, equity and inclusion.