Are small publishers doing all the hard work for the big ones?

These days, it is minimally staffed and funded firms who invest in new authors. The giants avoid such risk, only picking the writers once their names are madePaul McVeigh and Kirsty Logan are authors you may have heard of. Both of their debuts were published by Salt, an independent publisher. Paul McVeigh’s The Good Son was shortlisted for a bunch of awards, and won the Polari first book prize this year. Kirsty Logan’s The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales won three awards — including the Polari in 2015— and Logan had her next book published with Harvill Secker, a division of Penguin Random House. The same trajectory is likely for Paul McVeigh. It’s a familiar story.Independent publishers have existed since the 19th century; it wasn’t until the 20th and the 21st that we saw the industry dominated by a few corporations. “The Big Four” publishers – Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Hachette and HarperCollins – have grown big by buying up small publishers. Hogarth, for example, was founded by Leonard and Virginia Woolf in 1917; now it is an imprint at the Crown Publishing Group, which is in turn a part of Penguin Random House – which itself used to be Penguin and Random House before their merger in 2013. Phew. Related: 'Crazy but fantastic': Man Booker prize pitches tiny publishers into big league Related: A northern powerhouse really is coming – in publishing Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Rom-com fans, rejoice: Curtis Sittenfeld’s new book, Romantic Comedy, is coming in spring.

Some exciting spring book news: Random House will publish Curtis Sittenfeld’s seventh novel in April. And as both a Sittenfeld completist and an unabashed rom-com lover (NB: this does not include Netflix rom-coms), I’m very excited by both the novel’s title—Romantic Comedy—and its plot synopsis.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-13 16:02:18 UTC ]
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The UK’s £25,000 Royal Society Science Book Prize Names Its 2022 Shortlist

Five of the six titles on the UK's Royal Society Science Book Prize list are from independent publishers, two from Profile Books. The post The UK’s £25,000 Royal Society Science Book Prize Names Its 2022 Shortlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-09-27 08:47:37 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of September 26, 2022

Random House and Celadon announce upcoming editions of the House Select Committee’s January 6 report, Currency takes on a memoir by YouTuber and former banker Gary Stevenson, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Florence Pan, Judge in DOJ v. PRH Case, Confirmed to U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C.

The United States Senate voted on Tuesday to elevate the judge overseeing the lawsuit that will decide the fate of the proposed merger of Penguin Random House with Simon & Schuster to the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, filling the seat that belonged... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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British Academy Book Prize Announces Its 2022 Shortlist

Six titles are shortlisted this year by this 10-year-old award for nonfiction that contributes to 'global cultural understanding.' The post British Academy Book Prize Announces Its 2022 Shortlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-09-06 04:01:57 UTC ]
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What Five Years with a Predatory Vanity Press Taught Me About Art and Success

Every few months, I receive an email or phone call from someone who claims to work for a literary agency or publishing entity. In the lengthy messages variegated with bold-faced sentences, or voicemails in which the speaker mispronounces my maiden name, I’m promised six-figure book deals with... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-22 08:52:55 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of August 22, 2022

Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sells an autobiography to Simon & Schuster, Gallery Books takes a memoir by ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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What Was the ‘It Book’ of Summer 75 Years Ago?

Laura Z. Hobson’s “Gentleman’s Agreement” was so popular that Simon & Schuster could barely keep up with demand. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-08-18 14:41:29 UTC ]
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Op-Ed: How an antitrust trial could reshape the books we read — and who writes them

The proposed merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster could lead to fewer voices — including marginalized voices — being published. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-08-18 10:09:48 UTC ]
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Lit Agents Say S&S Acquisition Would be Bad for Business

A survey released by the Association of American Literary Agents has found that 87% of respondents oppose the acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House, citing, among their chief concerns, that the deal would result in “less competition” for titles and “lower advances.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Is Publishing About Art or Commerce?

The antitrust trial to block the merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster has riveted the industry—and raised larger questions about the business of books. Continue reading at New Yorker

[ New Yorker | 2022-08-16 16:22:22 UTC ]
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DOJ v PRH: Madeline McIntosh Details PRH's Publishing Process

As the Department of Justice’s case against the proposed acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House entered its third week, the defense called PRH US CEO Madeline McIntosh, plus merger and acquisition executives from ViacomCBS and PRH, to the stand to discuss why approval of the... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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DOJ v. PRH: Agents, Publishers Move Center Stage

As attorneys for Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster took their turn to defend PRH's purchase of S&S, William Morris Endeavor's Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, Gallery publisher Jennifer Bergstrom, and Norton's John Glusman found themselves in the witness chair. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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From the Archive: June 8, 1992

David McCullough, the author of 12 bestselling books, died August 7 at age 89. PW caught up with McCullough in 1992 shortly after his sixth book, 'Truman,' was released by the only publisher he ever had, Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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From the Archive: June 8, 1992

David McCullough, the author of 12 bestselling books, died August 7 at age 89. PW caught up with McCullough in 1992 shortly after his sixth book, 'Truman,' was released by the only publisher he ever had, Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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David McCullough, Pulitzer-winning historian, dies aged 89

The author of biographies and other works and narrator of documentaries, McCullough was ‘the voice of American history’David McCullough, the Pulitzer prize-winning author whose lovingly crafted narratives on subjects ranging from New York’s Brooklyn Bridge to American presidents John Adams and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-08-08 19:41:16 UTC ]
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Antitrust trial puts book publishing industry in the dock

The Justice Department’s legal effort to block the merger of book publishing giants Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster is more than just a showcase for the Biden administration’s tougher approach to corporate consolidation Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2022-08-06 14:26:56 UTC ]
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Sales, Profits Skyrocket at S&S in Q2

Second quarter sales jumped 34% over last year’s second quarter at Simon & Schuster, and operating income leapt 54%. The strong results followed a first quarter which CEO Jonathan Karp said "defied gravity." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen King testifies against $2B Penguin merger

The deal between Penguin and Simon & Schuster would weaken competition and lower author pay, he said Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2022-08-02 19:08:55 UTC ]
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Robert Scudellari, Random House Art Director, Dies at 88

Robert Scudellari, who served as corporate art director at Random House in the 1970s and '80s, died on June 3. He was 88. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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