News Roundups

News Roundup: February 3, 2023

News Roundup

February 3, 2023

• Share
• on Twitter (opens in a new tab)
• on Facebook (opens in a new tab)
• on Linkedin (opens in a new tab)
• via email

In this week’s edition: Layoffs and leadership changes at two big publishers, Trump vs Woodward, a brick-and-mortar bookseller makes a comeback, and more.

HarperCollins Is Cutting 5% of its North American Workforce
Publishers Weekly
In a memo to employees, HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray wrote that the surge in sales the company saw during the pandemic has “slowed significantly as of late.”

Madeline McIntosh to Step Down as CEO of PRH US
Publishers Weekly
The news is the latest high-profile departure from the country’s largest publisher since the failure of a proposed merger with Simon & Schuster in November.

Trump Sues Bob Woodward for Publishing Audio Recordings of White House Interviews
NBC News
In the lawsuit, which also targets Simon & Schuster, the former president claims he never agreed to the release of audio from the interviews, which were conducted for Woodward’s 2020 book, Rage.

How Barnes and Noble Came Back from Near Death
The New York Times
Barnes and Noble is expanding for the first time in a decade, with a plan to open 30 new stores this year. The turnaround has come as the chain has followed a strategy of delegating power to local store managers.

Michigan Is Banning Inmates from Reading Totally Normal Books
Vice
The state’s prisons have banned almost 1,000 books since 1998, including novels, how-to books about coding and trucking, and even Dungeons and Dragons rule books. Nearly half were said to threaten “order and security.”

Penguin Random House’s All Ways Black Collective Battles Book Bans
Publishers Weekly
The group announced it will partner with Little Free Libraries to expand access to books by Black authors in communities across the country.

2023 Youth Media Award Winners
School Library Journal
The American Library Association announced its picks for the 2023 Youth Media Awards, including the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards.