Obituaries National Book Award winner Barry Lopez, 75, died Christmas Day following a lengthy battle with prostate cancer. Publishing veteran Roland Elgey, 65, died recently of colorectal cancer. He was 65 years old. His 40 years in publishing included serving as president of Que Computer Publishing and svp of sales at Que/Sams, Hungry Minds. Later in his career he worked in publishing services, most recently as vp for business development at Integra Software Services. Biographer Scott Donaldson, 92, died on December 1 of lung cancer. Poet Jean Valentine, 86, whose collection Door in the Mountain, won the 2004 National Book Award, […]
Bookstores
Struggling Barnes & Noble Education Gets $15 Million Investment from Sports Merchandiser
Barnes & Noble Education got a lift from news of a modest $15 million investment from sports team retailer Fanatics (and their brick-and-mortar subsidiary that sells hats and other merch, Lids). The investors will receive 2.3 million shares in BNED, bought at the far-above-market price of $6.50 a share. The parties intend to create a “long-term strategic omnichannel merchandising partnership” (the reliance on “omnichannel” to make it sound important is a warning on its own). While BNED has been touting their growing expertise in digital and ecommerce, now they proclaim that Fanatics is the key to “bring[ing] a best-of-breed retail […]
Denver Investors Buy Tattered Cover
A group of investors led by Denver residents Kwame Spearman and David Back of Bended Page LLC have purchased Colorado bookstore chain Tattered Cover from co-owners Len Vlahos and Kristen Gilligan, who will remain with the business until the end of June to help with the transition. The sale includes four locations in and around Denver and a fifth planned for Westminster, Colorado. Under the new ownership, it will be the biggest Black-owned bookstore in the US. Spearman, who is ceo and major shareholder of Bended Page, said, “The Tattered Cover, and all it embodies for us as Denver natives […]
Barnes & Noble Has Eliminated Almost A Third of Staff
The WSJ looks at Barnes & Noble’s turnaround efforts, focusing on the standard James Daunt storyline. Deep in the piece is the news: If December sales are good, then BN’s sales will be down 20 percent for the year. “In recent months” the company laid off about 5,000 employees, “the majority of whom worked part time.” Compared to April 2019, the chain has eliminated 7,500 jobs, now employing about 16,500 people. Half of the New York-based corporate staff has been eliminated, approximately 125 people. The story also notes that prior to the pandemic, Daunt had a weekly lunch with independent […]
Controversies: PRH Canada Employees Object to New Peterson Book, and More on the BN Hack
At Penguin Random House Canada, the originating publisher of Jordan B. Peterson, at least some employees objected to the news that the company will publish his second book in March. The company held a virtual town hall on Monday after announcing publication, “during which executives defended the decision to publish Peterson while employees cited their concerns about platforming someone who is popular in far-right circles,” Vice reports based on speaking to four employees. The publisher said in a statement, “We held a forum and provided a space for our employees to express their views and offer feedback. Our employees have […]
NAIBA Board Pauses to Acknowledge Covid Exhaustion, Shares Tools for Indies
Despite many positive indicators that publishing has rebounded amidst the pandemic, there is a parallel reality: Many in the bookselling community have continued to struggle, and the challenges have grown as the country faces the potential of more retail limitations or shutdowns during the critical holiday season. The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association sent an emotional email yesterday to members yesterday to acknowledge the struggle. The board voiced the need to “Take a moment to mourn the stores lost this year to Covid-19, from legacy stores to stores that opened with hope in the last few years; to acknowledge the […]