Penguin Random House chief financial officer Milena Alberti has decided to leave her position at the end of the year after 16 years with the company, the past two as cfo. Deputy cfo James Johnston will lead the finance group in the interim, reporting to ceo Markus Dohle, as the company searches for a permanent successor, which they hope to announce in the first quarter of 2018. Dohle said in the announcement: “I am one of many who has truly valued, enjoyed, and benefited from collaborating with Milena over the years, and I want to express my sincere appreciation for […]
Emma Cline and Ex-Boyfriend Sue Each Other Over Plagiarism Claims
A two-year dispute between Emma Cline and her former boyfriend, Chaz Reetz-Laiolo has erupted in dueling lawsuits filed Wednesday in California federal court over allegations that Cline plagiarized portions of her 2016 debut novel The Girls through the use of computer spyware — allegations that Cline, in conjunction with Penguin Random House and The Clegg Agency vehemently deny. Reetz-Laiolo’s 79-page complaint (with more than 500 pages of supplemental exhibits) spins a story of Cline installing a keylogging software on a laptop that was once hers, later sold to him for $300, that was used to monitor his emails, as well […]
Barnes & Noble’s Sales Decline Below Expectations Once More
Barnes & Noble reported earnings for their fiscal second quarter ending October 28, once again reporting mediocre results: Sales and store comps declined, and the loss grew, with both sales and earnings missing analysts’ modest expectations. Shares fell approximately 10 percent in the first hour of trading, back to about $7 a share, on the disappointing results. But there is a glimmer of encouragement. After years of touting everything but books (digital devices, educational toys & games, vinyl records, maker fairs, collectibles, etc.), with limited effect, Barnes & Noble has decided to be a bookseller: In the new release, ceo […]
Springer Nature Aims for IPO
Springer Nature, the joint venture between Holtzbrinck and BC Partners, is in discussions with JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley about launching a European IPO some time next year, “people close to the matter” tell Reuters. Those people are touting a potential value of 4 to 5 billion euros for the company. Minority holder BC Partners would sell some of their shares for the public offering, reducing their stake, while 53 percent owner Holtzbrinck might buy more, to retain a big stake. The report says they are considering a capital increase of 700 to 800 million euros, looking to float 25 percent […]
Skyhorse Employees to Vote on Unionizing This Week
The recent wave of unionization by media companies is now encompassing book publishing. Approximately 60 Skyhorse Publishing employees will vote November 30 on whether to join United Auto Workers Local 2110, the NY Daily News reported. Local 2110 is the same union that The New Press joined in 2001 — the last book publisher to unionize — and also includes some HarperCollins employees. (You can view the most recent Harper collective bargaining agreement here.) The bargaining unit, led by copyeditor Terry Buck, said that unionizing will lead to better health benefits, more overtime, lighter workloads, and better diversity hiring goals. […]
People, Etc.
Molly Ker Hawn has been appointed director of the Bent Agency UK. In Germany, Constanze Neumann takes over at Aufbau and the imprint Blumenbar as editor-in-chief for literary fiction on December, replacing Gunnar Cynybulk. She was editor-in-chief at Hoffmann & Campe until 2016, and has been working as a literary agent. At Catapult, Morgan Jerkins has been promoted to associate editor of the magazine, while Megha Majumdar moves up to associate editor for the magazine and books. It was early August when we reported that Donna Tartt had left longtime agent Amanda Urban at ICM for representation in the US and […]