Ailah Ahmed has been promoted to publishing director at Little Brown UK. Picks Way to go, GMA! After announcing their first two Cover to Cover Book Club picks in the middle of the month, the program is on it for December — with an early announcement that Tomi Adeyemi‘s Children of Virtue and Vengeance is their December Book Club selection. Bookselling As Barnes & Noble faces a lawsuit from a veteran former California bookseller alleging age discrimination and claiming that the chain’s real strategy is “we’re no longer hiring book people. going forward, we’re only hiring sales people,'” ceo James […]
Bookstores
Former California Barnes & Noble Bookseller Sues for Age Discrimination, Seeking Class Action Status
Longtime Barnes & Noble employee Barbara Tavres, 59, filed suit against the bookseller in the US District Court in Northern California, seeking class action status and alleging age discrimination. After working for B&N in community relations since 2006, most recently at a bookstore in Emeryville, CA — during a career of positive performance reviews that included winning their Above & Beyond award in 2016 — Tavres was told she was being terminated on September 9. She charges that earlier that same day, her district manager Phil Alexander and “other management-level Barnes & Noble employees had participated in a recurring weekly […]
People, Etc.
Maggie Richards has been promoted to svp associate publisher at Holt. Serena Jones, promoted to editor-in-chief earlier this year, has stepped back from that position and is executive editor “to devote more time to her books and authors,” as new president and publisher Amy Einhorn looks for a new editor-in-chief. Claire Harris has been promoted to foreign rights director at Foundry Literary + Media. Luke McCord has joined Random House Children’s Books as a Production Associate. He was previously a Production Editor at Peter Lang Publishing. The American Booksellers Association’s inaugural Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards have gone to Billie Bloebaum at Third […]
Bookselling: Amazon Books In Scottsdale, Interabang Reopens, and More
The 20th Amazon Books location opens today in Scottsdale, AZ in a modest 4,000-square-space. It features devices, toys, games, customer favorites and even some books. Though the stores originally did not disclose the discounted prices for Amazon Prime participants, they are now using electronic price tags to display a range of information. As promised, Interabang Books in Dallas will reopen Thursday in a temporary space after the store’s original home was wiped out by a tornado in October. The rebuilding of that shopping center could take a year or more. Former manager and events coordinator at Malaprop’s in North Carolina, […]
Barnes & Noble Dismisses Blog Freelancers
Last week Barnes & Noble let go the numerous freelance bloggers who wrote for the Teen and Sci-Fi and Fantasy blogs, as part of the company-wide refocus on booksellers. Dahlia Adler, a writer for BN Teen tweeted that “every single freelancer at B&N” had been let go. She added to PL, “As far as I know, B&N cut all freelancers loose…but no actual employees.” Aiden Mohler, a writer for SFF blog the posted on Twitter, “All freelancers at B&N SFF blog were informed today they’d no longer be contracting work and to invoice for outstanding work immediately.” Barnes & Noble […]
Briefs
Legal Audible attorney Emily Reisbaum advised the court on Thursday that they are still in discussions with publishers regarding a potential resolution of the Captions lawsuit. Their next progress report will come on or before December 3. Awards Julia Lovell won the 2019 Cundill History Prize for Maoism (Knopf). Bookselling Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in San Diego needs to vacate their Balboa Avenue storefront in 60 days — their lease expired in August — and “unless a new buyer and new location are found immediately, Mysterious Galaxy will be forced to close its doors.” They have been looking for a new […]