Private equity company Apollo Global Management has tried twice to purchase educational publisher Pearson since last November. Pearson declined an 800 pence per share in November and another offer of 854.2 pence per share on March 7, finding that Apollo “significantly undervalued the Company and its future prospects.” On Friday, following online rumors, Apollo said formally that it “notes the recent market speculation in relation to Pearson and confirms it is in the preliminary stages of evaluating a possible cash offer by certain of Apollo’s affiliated funds” to buy Pearson. Under London Stock Exchange rules, Apollo has until April 8 […]
WNDB and HBG Launch Program to Support Mid-Career Professionals
We Need Diverse Books has partnered with Hachette Book Group and Beacon Press to launch Rise Up: Retention Program for Diverse Mid-Level Publishing Professionals, inspired by Lee & Low’s 2019 Diversity Baseline Survey. “The survey’s data highlights the importance of retaining diverse mid-level publishing professionals since many leave the industry within three to six years, due to barriers like toxic workplace environments, lack of room for career growth, and unsustainable pay,” WNDB said in a release. Sponsored by HBG and Beacon Press and geared toward both adult and children’s staffers, Rise Up builds on the WNDB Internship Grant Program, which was […]
International Booker Prize Longlist
Thirteen novels were longlisted for the International Booker Prize.
At ABA Snow Days, Booksellers Imagine the Future
In the opening keynote at ABA’s virtual bookselling conference Snow Days, How to Imagine the Future of Bookselling, booksellers engaged in “mental time travel” to practice imaging the future of the industry. Jane McGonigal, author of Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything—Even Things that Seem Impossible Today, discussed the benefits of imagining the future, recognized that previously unthinkable things have happened, and explained how imagining the future contributes to mental well-being and can help people “plan and prepare” what’s coming. McGonigle also walked viewers through exercises in mental time travel. In one, attendees were […]
Bookselling: B&N Edgewood to Close
The Barnes & Noble in the Edgewood Retail District in Atlanta will close on April 3, as the landlord has decided not to renew their lease. In an announcement posted to their Twitter, the store said, “We loved being part of this community and will do everything we can to find a new location.” The announcement goes on to state, “We proudly serve America with over 600 bookstores in every U.S. state and are actively opening newly designed stores in communities across the country.”
Martha Wells Declines Nebula Nomination
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America announced finalists for the 2022 Nebula Awards. The SFWA noted that Martha Wells “graciously” declined her novella nomination for Fugitive Telemetry: Murderbot Diaries, Book 6. “Wells felt that the Murderbot Diaries series has already received incredible praise from her industry peers and wanted to open the floor to highlight other works within the community.” In a blog post, Wells said that after multiple Nebula and Hugo nominations and wins for the Murderbot series, “someone else could use this nomination better than I could.” Wells discussed her decision with SFWA board president Jeffe Kennedy, […]