On Tuesday, Penguin Random House released their social impact report, their “global commitment to serving our communities beyond the books we publish,” which shares programming highlights and data between January 1, 2021 – July 1, 2022. The initiative has three pillars: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Environment & Sustainability, and Free Expression & Joy of Reading. As part of their DEI goals, PRH U.S. updated its workforce demographics to reflect the staff as of October 2021. Among non-warehouse staff, 73 percent identify as women, 26 percent as men, and 0.5 percent as nonbinary. White staffers make up 74 percent of the […]
Archives for July 2022
Bloomsbury UK Union Seeks Recognition
Employees at Bloomsbury UK have unionized and are seeking recognition from management. The Bookseller reports that the union has over 70 members. A rep for the union said, “We have requested that management recognize us as a union chapel which represents colleagues across the UK offices, but they have so far stated that union recognition is not something they will agree to—instead opting for more management-initiated programs which are not fulfilling the same purpose as a union.” The company said in a statement to the Bookseller, “Our approach is to listen to and deal directly with all our colleagues, working […]
Vivendi Is Ready to Spin-off Editis to Win Approval for Lagardere Acquisition
While reporting earnings on Thursday, Vivendi disclosed that it is prepared to spin off the Editis publishing group into its own separate, publicly-traded company in order to win approval from EU and French regulators to acquire Lagardere as a whole. The company said, “To avoid any potential antitrust problems due to its combination with Lagardère Group, Vivendi will study the proposed divestment of 100% of its subsidiary Editis mainly through a distribution and stock market listing.” But quotes from company executives make it clear they are well past a study. “We knew that there would be some (competition) hurdles,” Vivendi’s […]
NYT Names Gilbert Cruz Books Editor
The New York Times announced that Gilbert Cruz will be the new books editor, succeeding Pamela Paul who left for the opinion section in March. Cruz moves over from the culture department. The announcement states that he’ll focus his energy on “three pillars” of coverage: “The first is to reimagine The New York Times Book Review, the nation’s last stand-alone newspaper book-review section, for the digital age. The second is to increase and embolden our reporting on and criticism of ideas and intellectual life, the publishing world and all that lives within it. And the third is to build new […]
People 7/28
At Sourcebooks, Alexis Banyon has been promoted to senior director content development, custom & proprietary sales.
In Case…
Two modest open calls: 1. We’re looking at new experiment that involves AI/machine audio narration. If you have any experience or recommendations here, please let us know! 2. If anyone wants to suggests a neutral Washington, DC watering hole for people to find each other after court hours next week, we’re open to suggestions.