But conservative groups are becoming more organized and better funded, Elizabeth said. They have sophisticated operations in place at the state and local levels and show no sign of slowing their efforts.
“It’s happening all over the place, and it’s very alarming for publishers and for the wider book world,” she told me.
labor conflict
Publishers are also facing resistance from their own ranks. Employees were restless and angry about topics of both pay and diversity in a business with a history of underpaying editors, journalists, marketers and other workers, while requiring them to live in an expensive part of New York City.
A younger generation of employees is challenging the industry’s long-held assumption that newcomers will work longer hours for lower wages. They have begun asking executives to build a more diverse workforce and raise wages for it. A union group of HarperCollins employees went on strike in November, arguing that the minimum starting salary should be increased to $50,000, from $45,000.
More than a month later, the strike still hasn’t stopped HarperCollins from publishing the book. But the action received support. Padma Lakshmi, author and chef, celebrated the National Book Awards last month with a union button-down on a dress that featured staffers gave her outside of a gala.
business background
Back in 2013, I covered the publishing industry during the merger of Penguin and Random House, an incredible move that created the most dominant book publisher in the world. The charming CEO of Random House, Markus Dohle, is exploit to lead the newly merged company as its CEO, and his growth in the industry seemed unstoppable.
There have been many changes since then. Dohle struggles to acquire Simon & Schuster, another major publisher. The Justice Department sued to block the merger, arguing that it would stifle competition and hurt authors. After a trial in August, a judge ruled in favor of the government to block the deal, a blow to Dohle. He stepped down as chief executive this month.
