Random UK ceo Gail Rebuck announced the sudden death on Saturday of the company’s group managing director Peter Bowron. She said: “Peter’s family, colleagues and many, many friends both in and out of the booktrade have lost an extraordinary person. It is devastating to lose someone you value for their intelligence, warmth, support and friendship. It is doubly so, to lose someone so suddenly and so young.” Bowron joined Random House in 2005.BookTrade
O'Reilly Media Lays Off 30 People
On Thursday O’Reilly laid off 21 employees at its Sebastopol, CA headquarters and more throughout the company. The local paper says “the cuts affected almost 14 percent the company’s 222 employees.” Spokesperson Sara Winge says “we’re being hit by the economic malaise.” She indicates that “the Digital Media branch was restructured into one publishing division along with the company’s Missing Manual group, O’Reilly Technology Exchange and its Head First series.” The report says the company had sales of about $70 million in 2007.Press Democrat
Sterling Cut, Too; Naming Names At RH
The job reductions announced yesterday by Barnes & Noble have extended beyond the executive office and bookselling part of the company into their Sterling Publishing unit. One source at Sterling estimates that approximately 15 people at the publishing unit were laid off, throughout Sterling’s New York office, Lark Books line, and warehouse. At least two Sterling executives were let go. Moby Lives has information on one of them. BN spokesperson Mary Ellen Keating would not confirm or comment on our information, saying that “we have not broken out reductions by department.” Asked about Sterling’s publishing output, she said “there are […]
ABA's CEO to Step Down in July; Search Committee Established
American Booksellers Association president Gayle Shanks wrote to association members to share the news that ceo Avin Domnitz will leave the organization after the expiration of his contract this July after what will have been 12 years on the job. She writes, “I want to assure you that the ABA Board is working diligently to make this transition smooth and transparent. We will, with the help of our CEO Search Committee, find and hire a successor who will continue the programs we as an association depend on.”Shanks letter
Now, Random Group's Reorg
This morning the Random House Publishing Group joined the other adult publishing groups at the company in announcing a revised management structure, following the integration of the imprints of Bantam Dell, as well as Spiegel & Grau. In her letter to employees, president and publisher Gina Centrello notes that “regrettably, with this restructuring we have had to eliminate some positions across the division. As a result, a number of our colleagues are leaving the company. We are grateful to them for their many significant contributions to our publishing efforts, and we wish them well.” The company is not specifying the […]
Barnes & Noble Cuts Almost 100 Jobs
The leading bookseller announced after the close of the market that they are eliminating “close to 100 positions in its corporate headquarters.” CEO Steve Riggio notes in the release it is “the first time in the company’s history we’ve had to do this,” adding that “the business climate in which we are operating is unprecedented, and therefore, the reduction in expenses is inevitable.” He notes “the current business climate and the downturn in retail sales mandate that we reduce corporate overhead costs as appropriate to our overall sales volume.” The company will take an after-tax charge of $2.5 million to […]