In Lisa Rundle’s legal filing against Penguin Canada and former president David Davidar, she also alleges that Davidar’s behavior was well-known within the publisher’s offices. Rundle’s action says that “colleagues would approach Lisa and inquire as to the reasons for his strange behavior during meetings.” It claims that the vp of business development and the business manager approached her “several times over the course of the three-year harassment.” The claim also says that Rundle “confided” in current publisher Nicole Winstanley (referred to as N.W. in the court papers) “for the final two years of the harassment” and Davidar’s executive assistant […]
Wiley and the Authors Guild: Still Going
In a brief statement yesterday, Wiley said that “after a useful and productive exchange of ideas, we concluded that the best way to proceed is to call each and every one” of the 117 Bloomberg Press authors “to make sure they understand the changes that we have proposed. If any of them are uncomfortable with our proposed changes, they can choose to retain their original Bloomberg contracts.” They noted that “Wiley shares a common objective with the Authors Guild, to treat authors well and fairly.”Wiley release In a follow-up e-mail to members, the Authors Guild says “this is progress, and […]
People, Etc.
Canada’s McClelland & Stewart announced job cuts and changes in responsibilities, with president Doug Pepper writing that “our publishing program needs to be even more focused” so that the company is “prepared to meet the challenges of the future.” Executive editor Dinah Forbes, who led their mystery/crime program, is leaving after more than 20 years with the company, and an editorial assistant and office manager were also laid off. Pepper writes, “In our more than 100 years as publishers, M&S often has had to adjust to the changes in the industry and the market by staying ahead of them. This […]
Skiff eBooks Team Admits They Are Leaving
Cliff Guren and Pam Turner have admitted in a letter to Skiff ebookstore partners that they are both leaving the venture, and imply that Skiff will not be pursuing the ebook portion of the venture for now. They write that “Skiff, LLC will be winding down its current operations. We fully expect News Corp. may want to consider opportunities to renew the relationship we’ve had with you at Skiff.”Via eReads
Now, New Ownership and Restructuring for Thomas Nelson
On the heels of last week’s announced debt restructure and new ownership at F+W Media, privately-held Thomas Nelson announced that an investor group led by Kohlberg & Company has purchased a majority stake in the publisher. Equity from the new investors “will significantly improve the company’s capital structure and eliminate the majority of its long-term debt.” Nelson had been taken private in 2006 with financing from private equity group InterMedia Partners VII in a deal valuing the company at approximately $473 million. At the time, as the Tennessean reminds us, the purchasers said they were financing approximately 60 percent of […]
Skiff (Platform) Skips to News Corp.
News Corp. announced that they have bought the “platform” portion of Hearst’s Skiff venture–but not the yet-to-be-launched black-and-white ereading device. In the announcement they focus entirely on the Skiff platform to the extent that it “specializes in delivering visually appealing layouts for newspaper and magazine content.” The Skiff platform was designed to sell and deliver ebooks as well, and their team has been building an ebookstore, though no mention of that feature has been made in the announcement and a direct query to Skiff has not yet been answered. As the WSJ puts it, “Skiff technology handles the behind-the-scenes workings […]