The board of the owner of the Tattered Cover Book Store, currently in bankruptcy reorganization, announced a decision that “positioning Tattered Cover for sale to a qualified, committed new owner is in the best long-term interests of the company, current investors, employees, suppliers and Colorado’s literary community.” The word “positioning” is quite intentional. They say “the company is in discussions with individuals and businesses across the US” but the press release and a motion with the court to delay their next bankruptcy hearing is designed to elicit “additional interest from other potential buyers as word spreads that Colorado’s iconic independent […]
Archives for March 2024
NLRB Files Complaint Against OUP; Union Prepares to Strike
The National Labor Relations Board has filed a complaint against Oxford University Press in response to the OUP USA union’s charges — first brought in July 2023 — that the press “violated labor law by refusing to bargain over, and eventually moving, work represented by the union to locations overseas,” according to a union press release. The union also intends to file additional charges, including the claim that the press has based union members’ annual pay reviews on whether they accept the company’s most recent offer. Management and the company have been bargaining over a contract since 2022. “In light […]
People 3/29
Elizabeth Blue Guess has been promoted to the newly created role of imprint sales director, working with Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Books, Hachette Nashville, Basic Books Group, and Orbit.
Small Press Distribution Shuts Down
Small Press Distribution (SPD), which distributed for indie publishers since 1969, announced on Thursday that it has shuttered, citing “the challenges of a rapidly changing book industry and funding environment.” The staff has been reduced to a “minimal team,” which is winding down operations. They write, “Several years of declining sales and the loss of grant support from almost every institution that annually supported SPD have combined to squeeze our budget beyond the breaking point. SPD lost hundreds of thousands in grants in the past few years as funders moved away from supporting the arts. The tireless efforts of a […]
Lagardere Publishing “Expects 2024 to be A Less Favorable Year”
Lagardere released their entire full-year report for 2023, adding detail to the financial results it announced in February. The company says it “expects 2024 to be a less favorable year” due to the end of curriculum reform in Spain and the lack of a new Asterix title. The division “will actively pursue its strategy of targeted acquisitions in its core publishing business as well as in adjacent growth markets with business models similar to book publishing, such as board games and stationery.” The decline in US sales last year “was mainly attributable to Grand Central,” as Colleen Hoover’s 2023 release […]
People 3/28
Sara Birmingham will join Random House on May 6 as executive editor.