Abby Zidle
So, three days after I come on here and tell everyone that books are going nowhere, the publishing industry falls off a cliff. Though in my defense, the books are still there--it's the people who are gone. Bantam Dell and Doubleday both lost their longtime publishers, and the companies will be rolled into Ballantine/Random House and Knopf, respectively. S&S laid off 35 people from a variety of departments (for the moment, I still have a job, but I'm staying a little later these days just in case!), and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt followed its acquisitions freeze and the departure of their publisher with the layoff of a number of other staffers, including several longtime editors. And Thomas Nelson laid off 20% of its workforce.
OK, things are looking a little tight. And kudos to all you commenters who've supported publishing in the best possible way--by buying new books! It was a hectic Wednesday; Publishers Lunch sent out the announcement about Irwyn Applebaum and Steve Rubin's departures (well, Rubin's reassignment), and I picked up the phone to call one of my buddies from my Bantam Dell days and get the scoop. While I was on the phone with her, we get an e-mail with the S&S announcement. Instantly my other line is ringing off the hook, but I can't pick it up because I'm still on with my friend. My assistant happens to be on vacation this week, so everyone who can't reach me is convinced I've been laid off. I'm now e-mailing the people whose numbers are coming up on my phone saying, "Still here! On phone. Heck of a day." Who says this business doesn't run on gossip?
Of course, mere days later, these events were overshadowed by a Viacom layoff of 850 people...but either way, it seems that people are cutting back all over. Nevertheless, I'm holding to my somewhat Pollyanna-ish view that books will survive this round. We'll be a little leaner (and I suspect the paper may get crappier), but after all, we've got some stories to tell.
