I was sad to see the news on my homepage today. This is just a section of an article of yet another closing.
HarperCollins lays off employees, closes division
NEW YORK (AP) -- The wave of book publishing cuts has now reached HarperCollins.
The publisher of such authors as Nobel laureate Doris Lessing, Oprah Winfrey favorite David Wroblewski and Newbery prize winner Neil Gaiman has closed and dispersed the Collins division, which specializes in nonfiction books, and laid off a "small percentage" of employees.
"Over the last several months, the unstable economy has had a significant impact on businesses and consumer spending," HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray wrote in a company memo sent Tuesday. "Our industry is not immune to these market forces, and there is increasing pressure on us, along with our retail and wholesale partners, to adjust."
Also departing is Lisa Gallagher publisher of the William Morrow division, where best sellers have included Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book," John Grogan's "Marlay & Me" and Dennis Lehane's "Mystic River."
A once-"recession proof" industry is no longer as Random House Inc., Simon & Schuster and MacMillan are among the many publishers who have reported layoffs in the past two months.
Posts
Sad, it is everywhere! I feel bad for them and hope they can find something else.
ReplyDeleteVery sad.. My husband was recently off work for 7.5 months. It certainly affected my book spending.. . (ha ha.. not like I didn't find books to buy at library sales, garages sales and what not), but it goes to show what happens on a larger scale. I hope that the workers can find something else... and will keep fingers crossed for the economy.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading about publishing houses...for the past couple of years, they have made changes. Technology plays a big role here too.
ReplyDelete