Puffin UK made a statement to The Bookseller defending the changes they implemented to Roald Dahl’s children’s books that caused an uproar online over the weekend. Changes include referring to Augustus Gloop as “enormous” rather than “fat” and cutting the word “ugly” from a description of a character in The Twits. They said, “Over the course of the last year Puffin has published updated editions of 16 of Roald Dahl’s books, in close partnership with the Roald Dahl Story Company (RDSC) as the custodian of his legacy. These included a relatively small number of textual edits, as well as routine […]
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Indigo Remains Offline After Cybersecurity Incident
Indigo Books & Music’s website remains down after the company experienced a cybersecurity incident on Feb 8. According to the Vancouver Sun, stores can now process cash, debit, and credit card transactions, but aren’t able to process returns or gift card purchases. In a call with investors on Friday, cfo Craig Loudoun said the security breach “result[ed] in internal operational disruptions and service disruptions to both ecommerce and retail channels. The company is working alongside third party experts to resolve the situation and to understand if customer data has been accessed. Indigo’s main priorities are to protect customer data, limit […]
Indigo Discloses Ongoing “Cybersecurity Incident”
Canadian bookseller Indigo experienced a “cybersecurity incident” on Wednesday. Currently the chain’s website is down except for an announcement of the incident, and stores can only process cash transactions. Returns, gift cards, and electronic payments are unavailable. Indigo is “working with third-party experts to investigate and resolve the situation,” the website reads. Additionally, a spokesperson told Canadian media the company is working with third-party experts to determine if any customer data was breached, telling customers on social media they were trying to “understand if customer data has been accessed.” No other details of the incident were provided. When Barnes & […]
Macmillan Raises Starting Salary
On Wednesday, Macmillan announced that they will increase their entry-level base salary to $47,500, effective April 1. That brings them in line with Hachette Book Group, which announced a similar increase a week ago. Macmillan has been paying a starting salary of $42,000. Macmillan noted, “Additional adjustments will be made to current salary bands to reflect this change.”
HarperCollins to Cut Five Percent of North American Employees
HarperCollins ceo Brian Murray announced in an internal memo that the company will implement both job reductions and cost cutting between now and the middle of the calendar year (which is when Harper’s fiscal year ends). A spokesperson confirmed that, “In addition to implementing a variety of cost-saving measures, we will be reducing our workforce across North America by 5% before the end of the fiscal year.” Some employees were told they were being laid off yesterday Murray wrote, though apparently additional reductions are still to come. Reportedly, the layoffs included a senior sales staffer and four positions in the […]
In Letter to Authors, Pietsch Addresses Lower Sales, Advocacy, and More
In his annual letter to authors and agents sent on Friday, HBG ceo Michael Pietsch wrapped up 2022 and optimistically addressed the downturn of book sales, HBG’s efforts in DEI and fighting book bans, increased marketing efforts, and more. Pietsch explained that book sales overall are below the high numbers of 2021, “but still well above where they were before the pandemic. Bookstore chains and independent bookstores report that they’re thriving, and I expect that the habit of reading and listening to books that many people developed during the pandemic will buoy us all in the years ahead.” He also […]