Zagat Calls Off Sale
The Zagats announced that their company is no longer for sale. They note in the announcement: "We have been very pleased with the strong interest that we have received in the Zagat brand and our unique multi-media business model. While we considered some very attractive options, given our company's strong performance and continued momentum, and in light of the current economic climate, we have decided to continue to grow our business organically." The company says it will "ramp up its investment in key initiatives to accelerate the growth of its Internet and mobile products and services, while aggressively extending its licensing partnerships worldwide."
The Murray Era at Harper Collins
"I didn't know anything until Monday," new HarperCollins ceo Brian Murray reports, adding that outgoing boss Jane Friedman "said it was something she'd been thinking about for a while" though "she didn't think it wasn't going to happen this fast."
Newly-appointed publisher and president for general books in North America Michael Morrison tells the NYT "Jane's been talking about it for a long time and really sort of searching her soul to figure out, you know, what she wanted to do in the years to come."
A separate piece in the Observer has Morrison saying "in an interview that Friedman had been thinking about leaving and discussing the possibility with close colleagues (including him) for about a year."
But the NYT still sort of concludes, without citing any particular evidence, that "it appeared that she had been nudged out."New ceo Murray was among those absent from the recent BEA in Los Angeles due to a college reunion in Washington, DC. He says the new management line-up, including the promotion of Morrison and Victoria Barnsley, "simplifies our structure and reflects the way book rights are often sold." With a variety of rights questions coming between US and UK publishers these days, he says "it puts those decision in the hands of the three of us" which he believes will allow the company to be "nimble and smart."China, the territory we questioned yesterday, will report to Murray for now (he spearheaded much of the company's work there), while Barnsley "is going to be getting much more involved in our initiatives there" and will join Murray as the company sets up a board to oversee that venture.
Murray does not anticipate any other major personnel or policy changes, and is "thrilled" with the experiments Bob Miller has just embarked on at Harper. He notes that "the biggest challenge in experimenting in those areas is, 'who is going to do it?' I think this is hard to pull off, but I think that Bob can do it."
And then later this:
More Announcements Out of Harper
Following the release of news about Jane Friedman and Brian Murray, the company was already prepared with a follow-up bulletin addressing the next level of management under Murray--confirmation that, if nothing else, these changes were already lined up.
In what the company calls a "new management structure," president of the HarperMorrow division Michael Morrison has been promoted to president and publisher for US General Books and Canada. Harper UK ceo Victoria Barnsley adds responsibility as ceo and publisher of the International division as well, giving her oversight of Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. (China is not specifically iterated in the announcement.)
New ceo Brian Murray says in the announcement, "Michael and Victoria are two of the most creative publishing executives in the industry and I am looking forward to working closely with them to help HarperCollins grow and achieve even greater success. They both have a rare combination of terrific creative instincts and business acumen. They are ideal partners to help us build HarperCollins into the publisher of choice."
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