Longtime president and publisher of the Random House Publishing Group Gina Centrello has decided to retire from her position. She will take the new role of strategic advisor to the US Board going forward, and “will continue to participate actively in the industry through her work supporting Literacy Partners.” PRH US ceo Madeline McIntosh writes, “I’ve valued Gina as a friend and colleague for more than two decades, so I’m having a hard time imagining this place without her–and I know I’m not alone in that.” One of the company’s longest serving top executives, Centrello has led the Random House Group […]
Personnel
USA Today Bestseller List “On Hiatus” After Longtime Editor Is Laid Off
As part of significant layoffs at USA Today and Gannett, approximately 200 newsroom employees were let go at the beginning of December, including longtime editor of the USA Today Best-Selling Books list Mary Cadden. She produced the list since 2007. (Cadden can be reached at mary.c.cadden@gmail.com.) Following her departure, the paper did not issue the new weekly list due on December 8 (for sales through December 4). The last live list covers sales through November 27. The newspaper’s managing editor for life and entertainment Laura Trujillo tells PL in answer to our query that, “As the end of the year approaches, […]
Dohle Steps Down As CEO of Penguin Random House; Malaviya Is “Interim Successor”
Bertelsmann announced Friday morning that Markus Dohle will step down as CEO of Penguin Random House at the end of 2022, and will resign his seat on the Bertelsmann Executive Board, “at his own request and on the best of mutual terms.” President & COO of Penguin Random House US Nihar Malaviya will serve as “interim successor,” reporting to Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe and joining Bertelsmann’s Group Management Committee (GMC). The moves follow the company’s lengthy effort to acquire Simon & Schuster that ended with the deal being blocked by the court. Dohle said in the announcement: “Following the antitrust […]
One Major New York Publisher Pays Starting Salary of $50K
In yesterday’s open letter addressing negotiations with the union, Harper Collins ceo Brian Murray wrote that, “Based on publicly available information, HarperCollins’s proposed compensation increases would provide for a higher starting salary than any other major New York publisher.” The dollar amount of Harper’s proposal was not disclosed; the union has said it is asking to increase the base salary from $45,000 to $50,000. To expand on the publicly available information, Simon & Schuster’s starting salary for New York City employees is $50,000, which the company confirmed to PL. (Our understanding is that S&S pays based on a 40-hour workweek. […]
People: Weinberg to Lead Workman Publishing
Current evp and publisher of Perseus Books Susan Weinberg will take over as publisher of the Workman Publishing group on January 1, after Dan Reynolds retires. The publishers of Workman Adult and Aristan, Workman Calendars, Algonquin, Storey, and Timber Press will all report to Weinberg, along with marketing and publicity, and the group creative director. Weinberg says in the announcement, “The spirit of independent publishing at Workman is wonderfully familiar to me from my years at Perseus. I’m immensely proud of the contributions of the Perseus publishers and their teams to HBG and am excited and energized as I shift my […]
Amazon Announces Layoffs in Books, Devices
Amazon ceo Andy Jassy told employees on Thursday that the company would “eliminate a number of positions” in the Devices and Books divisions. In a memo to staff, he said that this year’s operating planning review “is more difficult due to the fact that the economy remains in a challenging spot and we’ve hired rapidly the last several years.” They have not yet announced which roles have been cut or how many, or how the changes will affect the functioning of the Books division. (Unlike Books, Devices has been a drag on the company, reportedly losing over $5 billion a […]