December 15, 2008

Breaking news: Macmillan fires 64

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Publishers Weekly is reporting that Macmillan Publishing — the conglomerate that owns Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, Picador and St. Martin’s — has “eliminated” 64 people from its payroll. Macmillan head John Sargent announced cuts will “range across all aspects of the company,” according to the report from PW’s Jim Milliot, including “positions across both its college and trade imprints as well as Scientific American magazine.” Sargent “declined to discuss how the cuts played out among Macmillan’s different imprints, but noted that positions were eliminated in all imprints.” The announcement comes less than a week after Sargent announced a wage freeze for all employees making $50,000 or more (see the previous MobyLives report).

Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.

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