German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG recently initiated major changes to Bookspan, the company responsible for Book-of-the-Month Club, that it acquired from Time, Inc., last month. According to a report in Publishers Weekly on Monday, Bertelsmann will eliminate 280 of the 1,900 positions at Bookspan as part of its integration of the company into BMG Columbia House, a unit of Bertelsmann's DirectGroup. In addition, Madison Park Press, the publishing program launched last year, will close. Bookspan spokesperson Paula Batson says the closure of the press will allow the company to focus on its core business, book clubs.
