If you thought Big Tech’s dreadful year of layoffs would be confined to 2023, you’re (sadly) mistaken. Audible laid off around five percent of its employees on Thursday, which Variety reports is “just over 100 staffers.” The cuts in the audiobook division are part of parent company Amazon’s most recent round of layoffs, also affecting Prime Video, MGM, and Twitch. “We did not take this route without considerable thought,” Audible CEO Bob Carrigan reportedly said in an audio memo delivered to staff. “But getting leaner and more efficient is the way we will need to operate now — and in the foreseeable future — in order to continue delivering best-in-class audio storytelling to our customers around the world.” For those keeping score, “leaner and more efficient” echoes the language in numerous recent Big Tech layoff announcements. Variations of “In these uncertain times...” have also been popular. Carrigan ironically began by talking about Audible's strong performance last year. “I want to acknowledge the strong year we had in 2023, in which we delivered amazing listening experiences for our customers thanks to outstanding collaboration with creators and partners,” he reportedly said. “Our business is in good shape, and that is because of the hard work of each and every one of you.” The CEO extolled how much the company values its workers. “A big part of what makes working at Audible so special is our many talented and dedicated employees who bring their passion to work each... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-01-11 22:00:11 UTC ]
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British publishers reported good business for the most part at Book Expo America, which concluded... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dubai's Rufoof e-bookseller offers 5,000 titles in Arabic and has attracted 100,000 users, 50% from Saudi Arabia, starting with free Islamic titles. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Audible has signed world English rights to the novels of Georges Simenon, best known for his... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is fleshing out its international empire. The company has already conquered the US, Japan, UK and Canada, and has even launched an ebook assault on the Chinese mainland. Now it looks like the online giant has settled on its next target: Russia. According to a report in the Russian edition... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's well off the triple year-over-year growth that ebooks saw a few years ago, but the latest report from the Association of American Publishers shows that ebooks did inch up even further in 2012 to account for a sizeable chunk of overall book sales. According to its figures, ebooks now... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Over the course of its 100-year history, Harvard University Press in Cambridge, Mass., has had to navigate difficult times. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From a longlist of 154 titles, ten novels have been shortlisted and are in the running for the €100,000 2013 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Were we really expecting a different outcome? Several months after Google bought Frommer's to bolster its location efforts, Skift hears that the iconic travel guide maker has completely stopped publication of print editions as its focus swings to the online realm. Authors say that many of their... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When the iPad is seemingly tailor-made for books of all kinds, you'd think Audible would leap on the opportunity to produce an optimized audiobook app -- it wasn't quite so eager, as customers have since discovered. Apple tablet owners won't have to perpetually lean on the stock music app for... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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According to Fortune, the media giant is meeting with a reps from Meredith--but nothing's been confirmed. Could Time Warner be following in the steps of News Corp. and considering spinning off its publishing division? According to a report by Fortune (a Time Inc. publication), the media... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House c.e.o. Gail Rebuck and author J K Rowling are both among the top 20 most powerful... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins UK has reported its “best December for a decade” as News Corp posts... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon saw record sales growth of 22% to $21bn (£13bn) over the Christmas period, with the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Pew report assures us that, even in the digital age, libraries continue to serve a variety of functions.Perhaps the most groundbreaking aspect of “Library Services in the Digital Age,” the report released today by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project is how... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury has reported a year-on-year profit boost in the final quarter of 2012, at the same... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bertrams has announced strong Christmas trading, with the book wholesaler reporting a 5.7%... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales at independent bookstores rose almost 8 percent during the year, according to data from about 500 stores. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Newspapers’ books coverage is even less profitable than newspapers overall, and many book review sections are shrinking or disappearing completely. In an attempt to subsidize such coverage, the Guardian has partnered with the Amazon-owned d ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Guardian has partnered with Amazon-owned Audible to provide a free audio edition of its... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble's Nook unit didn't have its greatest quarter. The $160 million in revenue the new Microsoft-backed spin off raked in was slightly better than last year's $152 million, but still a significant drop from $220 million. In a sign of the growing ubiquity of e-readers however,... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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