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The Next Great Migration This week we begin the third (and last) of this year’s big technology/platform migrations as we set up and test a new service for sending out the daily Lunch mails. To establish the new system properly — which will mail from a fresh, dedicated IP address, and should help the newsletters get through to your inbox reliably — we need to transition over a number of days. And we want to test the new system as we go to ensure that it improves your service. So for the next week or two, it’s likely that you […]

Zagat Calls Off Sale The Zagats announced that their company is no longer for sale. They note in the announcement: “We have been very pleased with the strong interest that we have received in the Zagat brand and our unique multi-media business model. While we considered some very attractive options, given our company’s strong performance and continued momentum, and in light of the current economic climate, we have decided to continue to grow our business organically.” The company says it will “ramp up its investment in key initiatives to accelerate the growth of its Internet and mobile products and services, […]

Friedman to Leave Harper: Murray Takes Over Jane Friedman is leaving her position as ceo of HarperCollins, in advance of the expiration of her employment contract this November. She says in a statement issued by News Corporation, “My 10 years at HarperCollins have been far and away the most rewarding of my career and so it was not easy to make the decision to step down.” Company president Brian Murray will take over at the company. He says in the announcement, “I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to invest in and grow our publishing businesses around the […]

BEA: Who Was There, and What Happens Next As anticipated in our show preview last week, registration for the recent BEA in Los Angeles as announced yesterday was down considerably from the convention in New York last year but a little ahead of the last Los Angeles show in 2003, at 28,494. In a slight change, this year the show did not “verify” all attendees by scanning badges; instead they focused on tabulating key attendees as they collected their badges at the center. “Verified” book buyers comprised 5,539 people, both a low number in general and a decline from the […]

Borders Makes Cuts Per yesterday’s report and BEA rumors/expectations, Borders announced today “a corporate payroll reduction that includes the elimination of 156 corporate positions spread across virtually all departments of its Ann Arbor headquarters.  Employees at the company’s headquarters were informed of the job eliminations this morning. In addition, Borders Group has eliminated 118 corporate posts that are based outside its headquarters, impacting primarily corporate employees in distribution centers, the field marketing organization, and the corporate sales division. These employees were informed yesterday.” The cuts are almost entirely focused on corporate employees (and not store employees), reducing corporate staff by […]

It’s a Wrap Sunday was a travel day rather than a show day for many East coasters, after a BEA Saturday on which even the help wanted out, an unfortunately a propos metaphor for the show at large, as hundreds of catering staff at the LA convention center staged a multi-hour walkout. (Apparently it was part of a labor dispute with the company that has the catering concession at the center, though it’s unclear how this would serve as an effective tactic). Show management gamely picked up the ball at Saturday’s traditional author lunch, with Lance Fensterman leading his staff […]