QUILLBLOG

Big shake-ups at Random House U.S.

There’s some scary stuff going on at Random House in the U.S. today. Industry observers anticipated changes to the company’s organizational structure after new CEO Markus Dohle took over earlier this year, but few could have anticipated the thorough restructuring he has just announced, which involves eliminating the imprints Bantam Dell and Doubleday.

According to the business website Crain’s New York:

The Random House Publishing Group will incorporate Bantam Dell, publisher of Dean Koontz’s thrillers. The Bantam group’s boutique literary imprint The Dial Press and Doubleday newcomer Spiegel & Grau will also become part of Random House.

Irwyn Applebaum, Bantam Dell’s publisher and a 25-year veteran of the company, is leaving Random House. Doubleday Publisher Stephen Rubin is stepping down from his current post to assume an as yet undetermined role elsewhere in Random House, according to the letter sent out companywide from Mr. Dohle Wednesday morning.

The Knopf Publishing Group will become the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group as it absorbs the Doubleday imprint and Nan A. Talese Books, which was also part of the Doubleday group.

The Crown Publishing Group will get the rest of Doubleday, which includes Broadway—home of Bill Bryson and Bill O’Reilly—Doubleday Business, Doubleday Religion and spiritual publisher WaterBrook Multnomah.

Meanwhile, in other bad news down south, there have been layoffs at Simon & Schuster and Thomas Nelson.