Wayne State University Press Fires 3 Managers

**rickbak** · February-09-20, 04:23 PM

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...up/4707108002/

Firing three mangers on an 11-person staff seems pretty extreme and strange. The Press has been letting people go for the last couple years w/o filling the positions. Ironically, I was all set to send the now-fired editor-in-chief a new book proposal tomorrow.

Hope everybody lands on their feet. The publishing industry is so fucked up now....

**Lowell** · February-09-20, 05:22 PM

Three managers for a staff of eleven seem like a lot of chiefs for not many Indians. Wondering if that was an issue. That said I hate to see anybody get a axed no matter what. My guess is that sales have slumped maybe due to all the disrupters out there like Amazon?

**rickbak** · February-09-20, 06:37 PM

No, university presses typically run with pretty lean staffs, so there's always some one- and two-person departments. According to the News, the staff had been downsized from 19 to 11 over the last couple years. That's really not many too folks to put out 45-50 books and several journals every year, especially if we're talking warehouse and sales staff. Annie Martin [[EIC) was let go; don't who the other two were. We're in the production phase of my Lions book [[due out in Sept) and I was supposed to see layouts Friday. I haven't heard anything so I'm wondering if the production manager/editor was one of the others shown the door.

WSUP is a nonprofit publisher [[just ask any of its authors, yuk-yuk). It seems as if Wayne State, like many sponsoring universities around the country, is looking for ways to streamline costs and at least be in a position to financially underwrite that commitment w/o losing money.

**Zacha341** · February-11-20, 07:56 AM

Wow! What IS up with this??

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...up/4707108002/

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/...ty-press-fired

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...RcmJO4sip/edit

Statement from Wayne State Authors.docx
We the undersigned are writers, reviewers and scholars who have worked with Wayne State Press. We are writing to express our shock and anger at what is tantamount to the destruction of this venerable institution. In a series of moves that has left both published and prospective authors in the d...
docs.google.com

**Zacha341** · February-11-20, 02:13 PM

From my understanding one of the persons fired was the Production Manager.

That specific position is very 'boots on the ground' [[I've worked in that area). PM's have the responsibility of checking, handling and passing off publication digital files [[from authors and designers) for proofing, to final printing.

Big publishing entities rely, and establish strong relationships with such staff along the chain of production. It's an area that remains highly deadline oriented per printing/ distribution processes.

For certain Amazon has impacted book publishing and printing.

Originally Posted by Lowell

Three managers for a staff of eleven seem like a lot of chiefs for not many Indians. Wondering if that was an issue. That said I hate to see anybody get a axed no matter what. My guess is that sales have slumped maybe due to all the disrupters out there like Amazon?

**Zozo** · February-11-20, 02:17 PM

I have a feeling Wayne State Press will soon be addressing these seemingly sudden terminations with a public statement that sounds like this: "We at Wayne State Press have decided to move forward in a direction of diversity, inclusion, and equity with more voices from People of Color that reflect the majority population of our great City of Detroit."

**Zacha341** · February-11-20, 02:23 PM

Annie Martin [[EIC) would not be at the production management level.

Check your last email correspondences, noting who you were talking too and see if their name was mentioned [[in any other articles). One link above states the names of the persons fired. See also my comments above.

Originally Posted by rickbak

...I haven't heard anything so I'm wondering if the production manager/editor was one of the others shown the door.

**Zacha341** · February-11-20, 02:25 PM

Hah! Now you BEHAVE!

Women will not have been the formerly harmed party in this case.

Men still predominate in the printing press area [[printers - offset/ digital etc).

Originally Posted by Zozo

I have a feeling Wayne State Press will soon be addressing these seemingly sudden terminations with a public statement that sounds like this: "We at Wayne State Press have decided to move forward in a direction of diversity, inclusion, and equity with more voices from People of Color that reflect the majority population of our great City of Detroit."

**rickbak** · February-11-20, 03:57 PM

FWIW---Annie, Kristin, and Emily are white, in their 30s-40s, each with a dozen or more years at the Press. Dunno if race was a factor. In my experience---and I've worked with just about every kind of house under the sun [[university, independent, regional, NYC) over the last 30 years---publishing is dominated by that demographic. At least the staffs are. Freelancers, like copy editors and designers, are a little less so. It's really not an industry where anyone [[except big-name authors) makes any big money...you do it cuz you love books, basically. Most staffs are collegial and stay in place a long time. So, is this just another ham-fisted way to save $$ by muckity-mucks who don't know how important continuity and experience and personal relationships are to the process? Or is it the beginning of some way to force-inject some diversity into the staff? In my experience, the Press's staff has never had more than a couple minorities. Or maybe the three managers were caught trading boxes of back-list for free drinks. [[Only kidding.) Who knows at this point. But gutting the staff like that is fucking insane.

The trio has lawyered up and so far said nothing publicly. It'll probably get ugly. Actually, it already is.

The three are all good workers and good people. But it's not always easy to find gigs in publishing these days, for obvious reasons.

**rickbak** · February-11-20, 04:03 PM

And when I say demographic, I mean white women in their 30s-50s. You'll get some young guys as interns or just starting off, but they usually move on before too long.

**rickbak** · February-12-20, 06:45 PM

Carrie Teeley, the senior production editor, resigned. Her last day is next Friday. Gonna be lotsa fun getting out all those books now stuck in the production pipeline.

**Wesley Mouch** · February-15-20, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by rickbak

...snip...
WSUP is a nonprofit publisher [[just ask any of its authors, yuk-yuk). It seems as if Wayne State, like many sponsoring universities around the country, is looking for ways to streamline costs and at least be in a position to financially underwrite that commitment w/o losing money.

Is WSU overall spending going down? Doubt it. I surmise this is reallocation. I would bet that the offices for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are not being streamlined. Just reallocation to their current mission.

**Danny** · February-15-20, 11:47 AM

That's my Alma Mater. WSU, school the ghetto hood!!!

CLASS OF 2010

**Zacha341** · February-21-20, 07:19 AM

Updates [[each link below goes to various articles found):

WSU Editorial Board Calls for Reinstatement...

Letter from concerned WSUP author sent to interim director...

WSU President says he backs the press...

New Leadership at Wayne State University Press

**Kathleen** · February-21-20, 09:37 AM

Thanks, Zacha341, for posting those links. I'm glad to hear that Kathy Wildfong is assuming the interim director role.

While Wayne State Press has always been recognized for the quality of the books they publish, in recent years the Press has become a real leader in publishing books on topics of interest to Detroiters and Michiganders. Let's hope that a quick resolution of the current situation will allow the authors and the Press to move forward as planned.

**carptrash** · February-22-20, 12:24 PM

This is sad and disturbing news.

**Zacha341** · February-24-20, 05:59 AM

Update: I can't find anything on the WSU site, but per Detroit News [[2/21) update, the WSU Press managers are being reinstated:

Lawyer says fired WSU Press staffers to return next week

**Kathleen** · February-24-20, 10:56 AM

Wow! That is awesome news. And the right thing to do!! Will be watching for further announcements confirming this update.

**Kathleen** · February-27-20, 10:21 AM

The word is getting out! The three Wayne State Press managers have been rehired!! Thank you, Kathy Wildfong, for stepping in and helping to resolve the situation.

Crain's Detroit Business:
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/educat...red-leadership

Inside Higher Ed:
https://www.insidehighered.com/quick...s-senior-staff

**Zacha341** · February-27-20, 11:21 AM

Thanks for the update Kathleen! Here's a fairly detailed article on the rehiring. Please make sure to review the comments:

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/...e-u-press.html

**Kathleen** · February-27-20, 11:53 AM

Thank you, Zacha, for the PW article. Glad to see that Carrie Downes Teefey will return as well. Will watch for further developments, i.e., university apology, etc.

**rickbak** · March-15-20, 12:01 PM

I conjectured earlier about higher-ups trying to jam diversity down the Press's throat. Now it turns out that the three fired/reinstated managers have filed a discrimination lawsuit. Also interesting that the interim director who hastily resigned in the middle of all the craziness was banging the library guy [[Cawthorne). Didn't see that coming. Throw in a shovelful of coronavirus to put even more sand in the wheels, and I'll be amazed if the Press's fall list is out on time.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/...taliation.html

**Kathleen** · March-16-20, 09:14 AM

Thanks, Rick, for the follow-up! Very enlightening...and so disappointing!

The link in the responses provides a great overview of how the event unfolded too.

I wish the best to the WSUP3 in their efforts to get justice for the firings and the anguish they must have felt.

**SFDS** · March-18-20, 04:37 PM

Kathleen, the response you referenced - a very good follow up article. Looks like more to come.
https://medium.com/@zenaburns/what-i...y-a1b83fbe28bc

**Zozo** · March-23-20, 02:50 PM

I predicted this whole fiasco from the start, as well as what WSU's likely response would be had they gotten away with this scheme.

This whole story is such a predictable insight into the anti-white liberal mind, and is an example of why these people, who run our institutions, are dangerous and are not to be trusted.

Three AWFLs [[Affluent White Female Liberals) who, according to the sister-in-law of one of the AWFLs, are "white women who are very aware of the realities of white privilege and systemic racism" [[from the Medium article), were shut out of the very racist and discriminatory system they helped create of favoring Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity at the expense of people who happen to look like them, by yet a fourth AWFL, their incoming superior, who arranged for the three AWFLs to be canned on account of them all being white, despite their seniority.

Now, because of this hypocritical and racist ideology, there is litigation that will only result in the taxpayer footing the bill. What won't happen is institutional reform that will preclude a situation like this ever arising again. The anti-white left aren't going to give up their racist polices against white people, and surely even more lawsuits will come in the future.