As part of its plan to cut 5% of its North American workforce force by June 30, HarperCollins has closed its Harper Design unit this week, among other layoffs. The closing of Harper Design is part of a mandate from HC parent company News Corp to reduce expenses by 5% to offset declines in sales and earnings over the last few quarters.
A spokesperson said that Harper Design titles are being moved to other imprints. A source confirmed that some other jobs had been cut this week, but said social media posts that put the number at 20 were wrong.
The downsizing began last fall, picking up momentum in January, when another round of layoffs were made. Results from HC’s most recent quarter are due to be released in early May.
