“The single hardest thing to do in business is to make a deal, whether you’re buying or selling.” Former SouthComm, Inc. COO Blair Johnson knew the magnitude of the task before him when, in November 2017, the company’s equity backer Solidus ousted CEO Chris Ferrell and indicated its desire to exit the publishing business within eight months. “At that time, Solidus had decided they wanted to liquidate their position and get out of SouthComm,” Johnson tells Folio:. “[Managing partner] Vic Gatto and the board made a decision that we needed to do it, and do it quickly, and that Chris was probably not the right person to do it. He likes to buy and build, and it’s a different strategy when you have to liquidate.” And so Solidus handed the company reins to Johnson—who took over as CEO—and CFO Bob Mahoney, and the pair immediately began the process of selling off a company that comprised alt-weeklies serving five different cities, a robust b2b media business, and hundreds of employees, among other assets. In a b2b-media space characterized by frequent mergers and acquisitions, the circumstances may have felt a bit like déjà vu all over again for Johnson, who had arrived at SouthComm from Cygnus Business Media in 2015 after four years helping transition that company from bankruptcy to breakup. “We essentially had eight different entities that we had to find a new home for,” Johnson continues. “Clearly, the biggest of these was the b2b assets from legacy Cygnus.” The relative... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'
[ Folio Magazine | 2018-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The identities of the finalists for the Costa Short Story Award 2014 have been announced, with writers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland making the shortlist. The shortlist was chosen by a panel of judges including writers Patrick Gale and Victoria Hislop; Richard Beard,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Harsent has won the T S Eliot Prize for his collection Fire Songs, published by Faber. It is the the poet's first win, after being five times shortlisted for the prize. Harsent beat nine other poets to secure the prize, include three previous winners, John Burnside, Michael Longley and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scandals, shake-ups, sticky scholars, and best books—here are the top ten religion stories of 2014 from publishersweekly.com. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-publishing will continue to grow, subscription services will move into the mainstream, and the general election will dominate in 2015, publishing industry insiders have predicted. Figures from trade and educational publishing, as well as from bookselling, agenting and writing, have shared... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 10 most popular stories about graphic novel and comics published on publishersweekly.com in 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trends, milestones, roundups, and recipes—here are PW's top 10 cookbook stories of 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Best books, bestsellers, and the most-anticipated new titles—here are the 10 most popular stories on publishersweekly.com in 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week, Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner asked the Columbia Journalism School to review Sabrina Rubin Erdely’s story about a gang rape at the University of Virginia. As it became clear that the story’s central incident—a gang rape of a freshman at a fraternity—did not happen as Rolling Stone... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2014-12-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent publisher Galley Beggar Press will launch a new short story list in 2015 to help lesser-known writers, for whom “getting a collection out there is still something of a battle”. Galley Beggar Press co-founder Eloise Millar told The Bookseller that “publishers have an obligation to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When Toronto-based Second Story Press celebrated its 25th anniversary this month, the room at a community center in downtown Toronto was filled with authors and illustrators who have helped the press pursue its goal of publishing important feminist and social justice books for young readers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The New York Times will fire 21 union employees starting today, according to the union, exceeding the total number of job cuts the newspaper publisher had originally said was needed to reduce costs.New York Times Co. had accepted the buyout applications of 57 union employees and almost 30... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Exclusive: Author makes spirited response to Mail on Sunday after corporation decides to air The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher on Radio 4’s Book at BedtimeRead Hilary Mantel’s controversial short storyMan Booker prize-winning author Hilary Mantel delivered a spirited attack on her critics... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booktrust and the BBC have launched a short story competition for teenagers. The ‘BBC Young Writers’ Award with Booktrust’ is for teen writers (aged 14-18) of short stories, on any topic, of up to a 1,000 words. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From Dec. 12 to Dec. 23, Rowling is posting 12 new stories set in the 'Potter' universe on the website Pottermore. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From Dec. 12 to Dec. 23, Rowling is posting 12 new stories set in the 'Potter' universe on the website Pottermore. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When Tim Cook published an open letter in September to address iCloud privacy and security concerns, he said free online services treat you, the consumers, as product. Even newcomer Ello, which is dubbed the anti-Facebook, has a manifesto that ends w... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pottermore is set to post a surprise each day between the 12th and the 23rd December, including new writing from J K Rowling. In a newsletter sent to Harry Potter fans, Pottermore said Rowling will write about Draco Malfoy, a pupil at Hogwarts and one of Harry Potter’s nemeses, as well as... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW takes a look back at some of the library stories that captivated the publishing world in 2014, and what they portend for 2015 Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon kicked off this year’s cyber Monday by claiming that Black Friday sales of its Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets were up significantly over last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Irish author Colin Barrett wins the Guardian First Book Award for his debut collection of short stories, Young Skins. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2014-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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