In two memos this morning, Knopf’s leaders outline a series of management realignments for the expanded Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Group spokesperson Paul Bogaards tells us “we are not making public the specifics of personnel issues, other than to say that there have been staff reductions as a result of our recent realignment, and that integration of our publishing group, which began late last year, is now complete.” Despite those reductions, Bogaards says that the planned annual “title count will remain the same at all of the imprints within our group.” On the editorial side of Doubleday, svp, publisher and […]
A Higher Estimate of Job Cuts at HMH
The WSJ, citing “a person familiar with the situation,” now puts December job reductions throughout Harcourt Houghton Mifflin parent company Education Media & Publishing Group at “some 700 people.” The company has “firing staff, outsourcing functions, buying fewer new books, and phasing out some textbooks for the past year” to keep up with its enormous debt load. Recent articles on questions raised by credit ratings agencies have questioned whether the company is anywhere near compliance with a required leverage ratio (a comparison of debt to ebitda) of nine–but now the Journal adds that the company’s loans stipulate that ratio “must […]
Rizzoli's New Imprint for Museum Publishing
Rizzoli is forming a new unit to expand their business in museum-related publishing called Skira Rizzoli International Publications Inc. Massimo Vitta Zelman has the post of chairman at the new company and longtime Rizzoli New York Publisher Charles Miers serves as president. Karen Hansgen joins the company as associate publisher of Skira Rizzoli. She has been director of publications at the New Museum of Contemporary Art and at the International Center of Photography in New York, and previously worked as a book packager. Launching in fall 2009, the company will publish for the English speaking market, and will coordinate international […]
Vig v. Dykstra
Literary agent David Vigliano has sued former client Lenny Dykstra, claiming “he lent Dykstra $250,000 last May with an agreement Dykstra would pay him $300,000 by early November,” the NY Post reports. They add that “according to the lawsuit, Vigliano was to receive a $300,000 payment after Dykstra sold some $23 million in notes tied to his former car wash franchise businesses. Vigliano claims he kept a $106,000 book advance that was supposed to go to Dykstra. As a result, the ex-ballplayer owes the literary agent $194,000.” Dykstra made a deal to write a book based on financial advice he […]
Previewing Canada's Second Book Fair
Reed Exhibitions is to present its vision to publishers today for a consumer-focused book show to be held in Toronto, likely on a weekend in early October “at an indoor venue on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds,” the Globe and Mail reports. They add, “The fair is Reed’s response to what has long been a major criticism of BookExpo and its predecessor – that they haven’t been inclusive enough, restricting their buzz to exhibitors and publishers to the exclusion of the public and thereby failing to drive sales.” It also comes as BEC–their Canadian trade show–continues to lose support, most […]
New York Judge Rejects Amazon Tax Suit
Judge Eileen Bransten dismissed lawsuits by Amazon and Overstock challenging New York State’s Commission-Agreement Provision that levies sales tax on internet sellers who have affiliate relationships with people and companies in the state. Bransten found that the law “does not broadly tax any and all Internet sales to New York consumers. It requires a substantial nexus between an out-of-state seller and New York through a contract to pay commissions for referrals with a New York resident along with realization of more than $10,000 of revenue from New York sales earned through the arrangement. The neutral statute simply obligates out-of-state sellers […]