Harper Undergoes Restructuring; Gallagher and Womack Gone

HarperCollins announced it is undergoing restructuring, including layoffs and the folding of the Collins division under Harper. CEO Brian Murray wrote to employees that, “We need to take further action to align our cost bases with expected revenues. I have asked each division to evaluate their business…. implementing these plans will result in a reduction in workforce. These are difficult decisions…”

As of today, Locus knows of the following changes:

Jack Womack, associate director of publicity at Eos, has been let go. Womack, an author himself, has been with HarperCollins since 2001, and has promoted authors including Neal Stephenson, Chris Moore, etc. UPDATE: Emily Krump, assistant editor at Eos, has also apparently been laid off.

William Morrow, HarperEntertainment, and Eos publisher Lisa Gallagher, who has been at Morrow since 2000 and worked with many bestsellers including Neil Gaiman, is also leaving the company; Liate Stehlik, currently overseeing Avon and Harper mass market titles, will be taking over as publisher of Morrow/Eos/Avon.

The Collins imprint is being realigned under Harper, helmed by publisher Jonathan Burnham, and Collins president and publisher Steve Ross is leaving the company.

Additional details can be found at The New York Observer.

For the complete story, see the upcoming March 2009 print issue of Locus.