Jhanteigh Kupihea
@jhanteigh.bsky.social
120 followers 140 following 23 posts
Former president and publisher of Quirk Books, current bon vivant.
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jhanteigh.bsky.social
Hi! I’m here to support my former colleagues at Quirk Books, which includes a laid-off woman who is currently on maternity leave, an editor who resigned due to working conditions, and seven members of the recently recognized union. All of this happened within 8 months of my own resignation.
jhanteigh.bsky.social
You have to be a special type of delulu to include that request.
jhanteigh.bsky.social
Oh Robin, I’m sorry you’re just finding out this way, especially since you have a new book coming out soon! It sounds like a mess over there but don’t hesitate to email Dave and Nicole—they owe you details as a long-time author!
jhanteigh.bsky.social
It’s almost been a year since I gave my notice but I stayed on through the end of the year! And I agree, it’s really a lot for such a short time, though I’m not surprised the story is ending this way.
Reposted by Jhanteigh Kupihea
emilyhughes.bsky.social
Gaby was the marketing/publicity lead for Horror For Weenies and she's a MARVEL - please hire her for staff and/or freelance work!
gabyiori.bsky.social
...anyway! I am looking for work (and have been for months actually!!) and also soft-launching that I'm doing freelance marketing and publicity. if you have a book coming out that you think would benefit from a thoughtful publicist/marketer, I'd love to help you get it into the world!
jhanteigh.bsky.social
I was content to leave for my own reasons on the best terms possible but everything that has transpired in the one year since I gave my notice has made me uncomfortable with letting his actions become a minor footnote, even if it affects my future employability. People and careers have been harmed.
jhanteigh.bsky.social
My understanding is that Dave gave the whole company the impression that the unionizers were endangering their jobs, which led to some really bad behavior from some scared folks. (Understandable but not excusable.)
Now those people are about to lose their jobs. Just upsetting stuff all around.
rebeccagyllenhaal.bsky.social
another thing I'm just gonna leave here (from Wiki)
Reposted by Jhanteigh Kupihea
gabyiori.bsky.social
...anyway! I am looking for work (and have been for months actually!!) and also soft-launching that I'm doing freelance marketing and publicity. if you have a book coming out that you think would benefit from a thoughtful publicist/marketer, I'd love to help you get it into the world!
Reposted by Jhanteigh Kupihea
Reposted by Jhanteigh Kupihea
jamteayang.bsky.social
Great day to follow Quirk Books Union (@ QuirkBooksUnion on IG) and show your support for unions in publishing! 🙂✊ No particular reason or anything!! 🔗 www.instagram.com/quirkbooksun...
jhanteigh.bsky.social
Quirk authors, if you’re finding out about this news on social media and are feeling distressed about where this leaves you, I wouldn’t hesitate to email Dave since it sounds like he‘s the only person he saved in the sale of the company.
Reposted by Jhanteigh Kupihea
jfruh.bsky.social
I guess the main thing I’m learning this week is that lots of elite media people knew charlie kirk personally and didn’t know any minnesota state legislators
Reposted by Jhanteigh Kupihea
judysquirrels.bsky.social
i really resent all the time we have to spend being polite about things because the people in power are pathologically opposed to looking at themselves and being honest about what’s going on
Reposted by Jhanteigh Kupihea
patblanchfield.bsky.social
the thing to understand is that for many people the violence of order maintenance is simply not seen as violence in the first place
jhanteigh.bsky.social
People who haven’t done anything wrong are dying everyday from
guns or being kidnapped from their homes and workplaces. Defending a white supremacist’s right to live violence-free…dude, get a grip.
jhanteigh.bsky.social
People are trying to turn this into a free speech debate but pumping money into schools and colleges and pro-gun legislation to protect white supremacy is an action that’s fomenting the worst parts of MAGA. And I think it’s important for America to know that these actions aren’t consequence-free.
jhanteigh.bsky.social
Charlie Kirk was a POS fascist who actively enabled the deaths of American children IN THEIR CLASSROOMS and said those sacrifices were WORTH IT to protect gun rights. I think it’s loser bullshit to say “but his family“ when the # 1 cause of child deaths in this country is gun violence.
jhanteigh.bsky.social
The white liberal reactions to Charlie Kirk’s death are exhausting. Ppl are more concerned about maintaining a consistent ideology/not being hypocrites/reinforcing ideals that don’t apply to this reality. This is the brain rot of white supremacy: emphasizing politesse over real people.
jhanteigh.bsky.social
I’M still listed there
jesszimmerman.com
I wonder when my former employer will update the submissions page to reflect that every editor has departed or been laid off! There are people listed as accepting submissions who haven’t worked there since 2024 lol
Reposted by Jhanteigh Kupihea
jamteayang.bsky.social
LET'S FUCKIN GO!!! CONGRATS @claymcleod.bsky.social!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉 cc: editorial legends @rebeccagyllenhaal.bsky.social @jhanteigh.bsky.social

And if you haven't read Ghost Eaters, now's your chance! Highly recommend, it's a perfectly haunting read 👻
claymcleod.bsky.social
Wanna get haunted? GHOST EATERS, adapted and directed by Maggie Levin, produced by Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill and Vince Cheng at Crooked Highway, for Sony/Screen Gems. Based on the bestselling novel by… Check out the full story at The Hollywood Reporter here: bit.ly/4lnBeHw
Reposted by Jhanteigh Kupihea
kimkelly.bsky.social
someone who’s good at the economy please help me understand why Philly’s Dem mayor and her friends got gigantic raises when our ACTUAL essential city workers—like trash collectors, 911 operators, street pavers—struggle to survive on $46k a year?
A spreadsheet showing the salaries and recent raises given to Philly’s mayor and members of her administration
Reposted by Jhanteigh Kupihea
jamteayang.bsky.social
Some personal news: As of Monday, I am no longer a kidlit editor at Quirk Books. I was laid off last week along with the other acquiring editor and every full-time union member on the Sales, Marketing, & Publicity team.

Here's me on my last day with ~60% of the books I had the privilege to work on:
A kidlit editor holding a teetering stack of children's books (plus two adult books) and wearing a Newsguild union t-shirt
Reposted by Jhanteigh Kupihea
claymcleod.bsky.social
Thinking of all the editors, designers, publicists, storytellers and everyone else in between who worked at Quirk so unbelievably hard to make good books, exciting books, to get these stories out there in the world, to just work and be a part of this publishing industry, to survive: bit.ly/4ePWiEp
Quirk Books Lays Off Seven Employees and Pauses Publishing Program
Quirk Books founder David Borgenicht has instituted a six-month pause in developing and acquiring new books. The company has also made a number of layoffs, including seven members of a recently formed...
bit.ly
jhanteigh.bsky.social
There was no replacement coming. During that time Kate was asked not to disclose that she was part-time, even to protect her own reputation, leading to external partners expecting full-time effort from a part-time employee.
jhanteigh.bsky.social
Thank you to @katyhersh.bsky.social for this piece on the Quirk layoffs! Providing an update on the sub rights side, w/ permission: Kate gave her notice in Spring 2024 but agreed to stay on in a part-time capacity for the summer. This turned into a full year as she waited to train a replacement but: