Zondervan Reorganizes

In an attempt to streamline operations, Zondervan announced last week that it was “reducing management layers” and reorganizing the company into eight business units. Five executive positions were eliminated, including that of executive v-p of publishing Scott Bolinder. In addition to cuts in the executive ranks, about 12 other employees were laid off in sales, children's, editorial and HR departments. The overall result was a staff reduction of less than 5%.

Microsoft Ends Book Scanning

Microsoft abruptly announced that it is ending Live Search Books and Live Search Academic projects and taking down both sites. Through the programs, Microsoft has digitized 750,000 books and indexed 80 million journal articles. Those results will now be integrated into general search results. Microsoft has stopped digitizing new materials in both its library scanning and in-copyright book programs. It will provide publishers with digital copies of their scanned books and will let all libraries who have scanners keep the machines.

Results Up at Indigo in Fiscal '08

Indigo Books and Music reported that total revenue grew 5.5%, to C$922.9 million ($931 million), while net earnings jumped 76.0%, to C$52.8 million ($53.5 million) for the year ended March 29. Total revenue for the fourth quarter increased 2.1%, to C$206.2 million, with Indigo and Chapters superstores posting 3.4% growth, Coles small-format stores gaining 2.4% and online sales growing 1.0% from the same period a year ago. Fourth-quarter net earnings were C$3.1 million, up C$7.3 million from the same quarter last year.

Goofy Foot and AMS Settle

The only former PGW publisher to file for damages, Goofy Foot Press, has reached a settlement in its legal battle with Advanced Marketing Services (Reorganized), the successor company to AMS. The suit grew out of a distribution breakdown tied to a choice bit of publicity—Goofy Foot's Guide to Getting It On! got a plug in the June 2007 issue of O: The Oprah Magazine after PGW had stopped printing the book but before the press was able to get new distribution through NBN. It ended with AMS (Reorganized) agreeing to pay Goofy Foot founder Paul Joannides $125,000.

Dorman Gets Imprint at Penguin

Pamela Dorman is leaving her top executive spot at Hyperion to launch her own imprint at Penguin. Dorman is stepping down as editorial director of Voice and executive editor at Hyperion to run Pamela Dorman Books at Viking, an imprint Dorman said will feature a “strong, up-market and talented group of authors.”

The move, which marks a return for Dorman—she was at Viking for 19 years before she left for Hyperion—sees Barbara Jones taking over for Dorman at Hyperion. Jones, who joined Hyperion in February from More magazine, has been promoted from executive director at Hyperion to editorial director at Voice. (Jones will retain her title and responsibilities at Hyperion.)