In a short, short news story, The Grand Rapids Press reported that
Christian publishing giant Zondervan on Tuesday announced it was cutting 18 jobs as part of a restructuring effort.
Among those who lost their job was Executive Vice President and Publisher Scott Bolinder, who had been with the company for 19 years.
The company, owned by media conglomerate News Corp., has about 325 employees in Cascade Township and 35 at offices in Miami and San Diego.
The jobs that were cut represent about 5 percent of the positions at Zondervan, and included 5 executive positions. The publishing house hired Moe Girkins as its new president and CEO last winter.
Publishers Weeklyreported that, “Parent company HarperCollins has said that Zondervan has been a soft spot in the overall performance of HC.”
In recent years Zondervan had annual title output in the high-500 to low-600 range. Powers confirmed the reorganization would lead to a reduction in titles, but said the company would not release specifics now.
Since 1988, Zondervan has been part of HarperCollins, which is a subsidiary of News Corporation, which is run by Rupert Murdoch. The publisher’s first huge break was the NIV Bible, which in 1986 overtook the King James Version. A more recent one was The Purpose Driven Life.
