VP, director of publishing for the Clarion group Mary Wilcox will leave the company on August 25, after over 20 years at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and then Harper Collins.
Bloomsbury, AAP Mark the Death of Vaughan
Bloomsbury Publishing chief executive Nigel Newton said in a statement regarding the tragic death of Bloomsbury USA president Adrienne Vaughan in Italy: “Our hearts go out to Adrienne’s husband and children, parents, family and friends. Bloomsbury is doing everything possible to provide the support they need on the ground in Naples and in the US. “The loss of Adrienne is a terrible blow. Since she was appointed President of Bloomsbury USA three years ago, America has grown to become our biggest market. “Adrienne was a natural business leader with a great future ahead of her. She was deeply loved by […]
Bloomsbury USA President Adrienne Vaughan Dies In Boating Accident In Italy
Adrienne Vaughan, 45, president of Bloomsbury USA, died early Thursday evening in a horrific and heartbreaking boating accident off the Amalfi Coast of Italy. On vacation with her family, Vaughan was thrown from a chartered 29-foot sightseeing boat when it collided with a larger 130-foot sailboat carrying about 85 people as part of a wedding party. She was declared dead on the scene back onshore by first responders before a helicopter could take her to the hospital. Her husband Mike suffered more modest injuries, and their two children were not harmed physically in the incident. CNN later confirmed that initial […]
KKR Tipped As Likely Acquirer of Simon & Schuster For “About $1.65 Billion”
Private equity firm KKR has long been considered the leading contender among bidders for Simon & Schuster and the WSJ reports late Thursday that the investment firm is in “advanced talks” to buy the publisher, “for about $1.65 billion, according to people familiar with the situation.” KKR is believed to have bid the first time S&S was up for sale in 2020 as well, though the underbidder then was Vivendi — which had not secured control of Lagardere at the time. Harper Collins ceo Brian Murray testified last August that their bid in 2020 “was not close” to Bertelsmann’s $2.175 […]
Powell’s Union Employees Authorize Strike
ILWU Local 5 announced on Wednesday that 92 percent of union members who work at Powell’s Books voted to authorize a strike against the bookstore. The union said: “This vote gives the ILWU Local 5 bargaining team the authority to call for a strike if it becomes necessary in the course of negotiations. It doesn’t mean Powell’s workers are going on strike right away, but it does mean they have the option and are getting strike-ready!” Union employees have been calling renewed attention to their open petition recently, garnering signatures in support of the message, “Tell Powell’s Books: Workers Deserve […]
August Auguries: The S Stands for Sale
Coming truly full circle, the latest round of bids for Simon & Schuster were due on Tuesday, August 1 — on the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the antitrust trial in which DC District Court Judge Florence Pan wound up enjoining the planned $2.175 billion sales of S&S to Penguin Random House. While it was a major event in book publishing, history will remember August 1, 2023 at the same E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse instead, since that is the day that former president Donald Trump was indicted on four counts connected to his attempts to overturn the results of […]