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 […]
Bookstores
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 […]
People, Etc.
In advance of the sale of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s trade division, senior executive editor Rick Wolff recently accepted a voluntary buyout package, and he will leave HMH in mid-December. Wolff, “who has no plans to retire, was a minor league baseball player in the Detroit Tigers organization before entering book publishing.” At Harper Christian and Harper Focu, Jerri Helm was promoted to vp of digital marketing and analytics, continuing to lead the marketing operations team while also assuming responsibility for the corporate analytics team. Bookselling Politics and Prose is looking to change the paradigm around author events, from free promotion […]
People, Etc.
Kyle Gipson will join Basic Books on January 4 as associate editor. Most recently, he was an assistant acquisitions editor at Johns Hopkins University Press. At Random House Children’s Joshua Redlich has been promoted to publicity manager. Aaron Reese has joined as a senior marketing manager, digital content. Previously, he was a freelance writer and editor. Vincent Perez has joined as a production associate. He was previously production coordinator at Marvel Entertainment. Angelique Tran Van Sang will join Felicity Bryan Associates as an agent in March. She is currently commissioning editor at Bloomsbury UK. The NYT rounds up some advance numbers […]