Short answers, pulled from the story.
Virginia Kirkus left Harper & Brothers in 1932 after the company eliminated her children's book department. She launched an independent service that same year to review books before they hit shelves.
The publication began as Bulletin by Kirkus' Bookshop Service from 1933 through 1954. It finally adopted its current identity, Kirkus Reviews, starting with the 1st of January 1969 issue.
Anne Larsen joined the magazine as fiction editor in 1985 and assumed full editorial control shortly thereafter. She remained the head until 2006 while modifying the review format to improve readability and concision.
Herbert Simon purchased the journal on the 10th of February 2010, after operations were set to end at the close of 2009. Terms regarding this final sale remained undisclosed by all parties involved.
An Indie program allows book creators to purchase a review instead of receiving one without payment. Authors cannot modify or influence the content of these paid critiques but may choose whether to publish the result on the Kirkus website.