Simon & Schuster pushed back against reports over the weekend that it recently made “lots” of layoffs in its adult imprints. A spokesperson did confirm S&S has made a limited number of staffing changes intended to reflect shifting market trends as part of its normal business operations.
Since its acquisition by private investment firm KKR in late 2023, S&S has avoided making significant cuts to its workforce. According to multiple reports, the recent staffing changes included several well-known editors.
The changes occur against the backdrop of the ongoing search to find a successor CEO to Jonathan Karp. Karp announced his intention to retire last August, and the media executive search firm Spencer Stuart was hired to find a replacement. Since Karp’s announcement one of his chief lieutenants, Dennis Eulau, retired in November.
Prior to Karp’s decision to step down, two major figures in S&S’s international operations were replaced, with Perminder Mann named to succeed Ian Chapman as CEO of Simon & Schuster UK and International last May and Nicole Winstanley taking over as head of S&S Canada from Kevin Hansen in spring 2024.
