Authors fear the worst if Penguin owner takes over Simon & Schuster

Analysis: if Bertelsmann, owner of Penguin Random House, buys US publisher, writers expect smaller deals and less choice for readersUK watchdog investigates Penguin owner’s Simon & Schuster takeoverJokes circulated online when, in 2013, Penguin and Random House merged: would the new mega-publisher, which became the world’s biggest trade publishing group, be known as Random Penguin? Penguin House? Now, as the prosaically named Penguin Random House’s parent company Bertelsmann’s $2.17bn acquisition of Simon & Schuster comes under scrutiny in the UK, the jokes are fewer and further between.Authors have made it abundantly clear that they fear the fallout if the deal goes ahead. When it was first announced last November, the Authors Guild in the US was quick to register its objections. The acquisition, which would bring heavyweight S&S authors including Hillary Clinton, John Irving, Stephen King and Bob Woodward under the PRH umbrella in the US, would “creat[e] a huge imbalance in the US publishing industry”, it warned, calling on the US justice department to step in. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-03-22 23:24:23 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Authors fear the worst if Penguin owner takes over Simon & Schuster"


Wiley Gives Its Trade Program a Shot in the Arm

A year ago, Wiley began increasing its investment in its trade publishing business and acquisitions, Those efforts are now paying out, as title output and sales have both posted solid gains. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


S&S Launches Audio Imprint Simon Maverick, Helmed by Jason Pinter

Simon & Schuster has announced a new audio-first imprint, Simon Maverick, focused on self-published authors. Former Polis Books publisher Jason Pinter is the imprint’s VP and editorial director. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Jenna Bush Hager Teams with Random House for Joint Venture

The 'Today' show cohost and creator of the Read with Jenna book club has reached an agreement with the Random House Publishing Group through which books signed by Hager will be released by different RHPG imprints, beginning in October. Hager Bush told 'PW' that stepping into the role of... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


8 Newsletters Demystifying the Publishing Industry 

The publishing industry can feel like an opaque, black box to aspiring authors, with countless gatekeepers—agents, editors, publicists, book buyers and more—shaping the process behind the scenes. Even established authors can find the sector confusing as they attempt to read the tea leaves behind... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-01-06 12:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Trees of Life and Knowledge: Jamaica Kincaid on Colonialism, Gardening, and Worshipping Her Plants

At the Authors Guild Foundation’s third-annual WIT: Words, Ideas, and Thinkers Literary Festival in the Berkshires this September, acclaimed author Jamaica Kincaid spoke with journalist and editor Sandra Guzmán about her latest work, An Encyclopedia of Gardening for Colored Children, illustrated... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-01-03 09:56:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Publishing M&A in 2024: An Active, but Not Seismic, Year for Deals

Though there were no billion-dollar deals along the lines of private equity firm KKR’s 2023 sale of RBmedia and purchase of Simon & Schuster, the year did produce a number of notable acquisitions that indicate a few developing trends. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Queerest Christmas: 2024 LGBTQ Holiday Romance Books

Judy Garland once famously instructed us to make the Yuletide gay, and the publishing industry is really doing its part ... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-12-19 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Blake Butler! A Dostoevskyian Turkish classic! Giftable editions! 10 new books out today.

The holidays are approaching, and, with them, the end of 2024. As we near December’s various holidays and the start of an unpredictable 2025, observant readers will doubtless see that there haven’t been as many new books to list here as usual. This often happens in the publishing industry around... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-12-17 09:34:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this


PW Notables 2024: Skip Dye

No one has been more central to the publishing industry’s efforts to defend the freedom to read than the Penguin Random House SVP. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


PW Notables 2024: Regina Brooks

The CEO of Serendipity Literary Agency and president of the Association of American Literary Agents is bringing the innovative spirit of an engineer to the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Penguin Random House to Distribute Boom! Studios Following Acquisition

Penguin Random House will distribute all titles published by Boom! Studios, which it acquired this August, starting next July, taking over distribution to the bookstore trade from Simon & Schuster and to the direct market from Diamond Comic Distributors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Society of Authors calls for celebrity memoir ghostwriters to be credited

Many celebrities’ books are actually written by others, the UK writers’ union says, and it’s time they were acknowledgedThe Society of Authors (SoA) is calling on celebrities and the publishing industry to properly acknowledge the writers behind celebrity books, particularly those aimed at... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-12-10 16:42:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Rebellion Taps Into the U.K.’s Long Comics Heritage

Rebellion Developments began life as a video game production studio, but over the past 25 years, it has become a force in the U.K. publishing industry, developing robust businesses around valuable IPs including Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Penguin Random House Raises Base Salary to $51,000

Effective January 1, Penguin Random House will raise its entry-level salary to $51,000, from $48,000, as well as base salaries across seven other employment levels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Mike Shatzkin, Colorful Publishing Industry Guru, Dies at 77

His blog, The Shatzkin Files, was an essential read for industry insiders. His observations about the changes digital publishing would bring were prophetic. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-11-22 22:38:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Florida Moves to Dismiss Publisher Lawsuit Over Book Bans

Attorneys for the state of Florida have asked a federal judge to toss a closely watched lawsuit filed by six major publishers, the Authors Guild, students and parents, and several bestselling authors over HB 1069, a newly enacted state law that critics say is fueling a surge in unconstitutional... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Jamie Oliver pulls children’s book from shelves after criticism for ‘stereotyping’ Indigenous Australians

Billy and the Epic Escape to be withdrawn worldwide after First Nations groups say fantasy novel trivialises complex and painful historiesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJamie Oliver has pulled his children’s book... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-11-09 23:13:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The 2024 PW Publishing Industry Salary & Jobs Report

This year’s report, based on 632 responses to our annual survey, reveals the beginnings of a generational shift in publishing, and continuing unease about AI. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


At the Digiday Publishing Summit Europe, publishers move away from trend chasing

Despite the publishing industry’s grim outlook, many outliers are simultaneously fighting to change and reluctantly accepting the status quo. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2024-11-06 05:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this