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"


Meet Alex Aster, The TikToker Changing The Publishing Industry For The Better

The Colombian-American author's new book "Lightlark" was rejected numerous times — until she went directly to her readers for support. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2022-09-15 09:45:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Is the Publishing Industry Broken?

As houses across the industry start recalling staff to their offices, publishing professionals are pushing back against low pay, heavy workloads, and an increasingly stifled corporate environment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Virginia Judge Rules Against Book-Banning Attempt

In The Association of American Publishers and Authors Guild had filed an amicus brief in the case, which sought to limit sales of two books. The post Virginia Judge Rules Against Book-Banning Attempt appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-08-30 22:31:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How to Get Published

The mainstream publishing industry is intimidating. How does a writer break in? Follow Jessamine Chan’s “The School for Good Mothers” through the roller coaster of its creation. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-08-25 18:20:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


Penguin Acquires Rights to 'Super Sema'

Penguin Young Readers Licenses has secured the trade publishing rights for 'Super Sema,' an animated series from licensor Kukua Education Limited that began its second season as a YouTube Original on June 17. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


Penguin Random House’s C.E.O. Defends Bid to Buy Simon & Schuster

Madeline McIntosh argued that the publishing industry extends far beyond its biggest players, and that the government has focused on a tiny sliver of deals. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-08-15 22:30:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Rushdie Attack: IPA Calls for ‘Redoubling Our Commitment’

As Salman Rushdie struggles with his injuries, the world publishing industry demands protection for the freedom to publish. The post Rushdie Attack: IPA Calls for ‘Redoubling Our Commitment’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-08-15 14:59:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this