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Redundancies mark 'closing time' for PRH's e-book production team
Three roles in Penguin Random House's (PRH) e-book production team have been made redundant as part of a strategic move by the company to integrate e-books within its print production operations.
Nine roles in the e-book production team of 19 were classified "at risk" at the end of last year as part of the change in strategy. Since this time, it is understood three roles have been made redundant and following consultation with employees, the majority of the remaining six people were moved to other parts of the business.
The shake-up follows the redundancy of digital publisher Dan Franklin, who left PRH in July 2016. At the time, the publisher gave the same rationale, that digital expertise had become integrated throughout the business, so a dedicated "central" digital publisher role was "no longer needed".
PRH has declined to comment on the latest redundancies.
Mike Halmshaw, who headed up the e-book team's blog Brave New Word as editor-in-chief, has bid farewell to readers in a post entitled "Closing Time". "Many" in the PRH e-book team are now "moving on to new things", his final blog on the website said.
"It’s a shame that there are so many cool things e-books can do that people didn’t and don’t know about, and that perhaps a false narrative that they’re a basic medium – a digital simulacrum – is taking hold," Halmshaw wrote.
"Still, ultimately, what matters is the book, the text, and not the vessel. That was one of the arguments this website wanted to make. It’ll be interesting to see what comes next.
"But whatever that is, we won’t be writing about it here. This website has come to an end. Many in Penguin Random House Ebooks, myself included, are moving on to new things. We made what we considered to be the best e-books available. Now our care will go on other projects. From me, thank you to everyone who contributed to this unruly thing. Thank you to the readers, whoever you are."
PRH is currently recruiting for an e-book co-ordinator who, based in London, will "make sure that our e-books are delivered on time and to the quality required". The recruited person will work in tandem with print production teams.
