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 ]

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PRH Peru Chief and Author in Defamation Case: Publishing Industry Support

IPA, CPJ, and several embassies condemn the defamation verdict against PRH Peru's Jerónimo Pimentel and author Christopher Acosta. The post PRH Peru Chief and Author in Defamation Case: Publishing Industry Support appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-01-12 15:59:10 UTC ]
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Norman Mailer is far from canceled. He's history

As Skyhorse announced it will pick up a posthumous essay collection Random House didn't want, it's worth considering what Mailer is. He isn't canceled. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-01-06 21:32:06 UTC ]
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Skyhorse picks up Mailer anthology, as Random House passes

Norman Mailer's long-term US publisher Random House has declined to publish an anthology of his writing, with indie Skyhorse Publishing picking up the book instead, though the late author's son stressed his father has not been "cancelled". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-06 02:12:21 UTC ]
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Skyhorse picks up Norman Mailer collection amid Random House drama

Skyhorse Publishing's acquisition of a collection of the late Norman Mailer's essays comes after reports that his regular publisher declined it. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-01-05 21:10:06 UTC ]
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Jessica Chastain has optioned Jessamine Chan’s The School for Good Mothers for TV.

Deadline has reported that Jessica Chastain, through her cutely named production company Freckle Films, has beaten out several others to the TV rights to Jessamine Chan’s The School for Good Mothers. The School for Good Mothers, published this week by Simon & Schuster, is Chan’s debut novel;... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-05 16:49:39 UTC ]
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Norman Mailer has not been ‘cancelled’, his son insists

Random House has not dropped a collection of essays by the late writer as reports have suggested – the publisher declined to make an offer on the book in the first instanceNorman Mailer’s son has denied reports that the late writer has been “cancelled” over his controversialist views.Earlier... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-01-05 12:15:32 UTC ]
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Ukraine-Based ‘Kiss Library’ Under Permanent Injunction in Book Piracy Case

The US Authors Guild, Amazon Publishing, and Penguin Random House win a default judgment against Ukraine-based 'Kiss Library.' The post Ukraine-Based ‘Kiss Library’ Under Permanent Injunction in Book Piracy Case appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-01-04 10:56:43 UTC ]
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Trevlyn D’Cruz obituary

My father, Trevlyn D’Cruz, who has died aged 83, was an accountant who became managing director of the publishing company New English Library (NEL) in 1974. His years there read like a primer of 70s culture: he distributed Bob Guccione’s Playboy magazine rival, Penthouse, was involved in the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-24 16:49:25 UTC ]
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Authors Guild Fights School Book Bans

The Authors Guild has launched a National Letter Writing campaign, asking its 11,000 members and supporters to send emails and letters to school boards, lawmakers, and newspapers arguing that banning books harms students. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster file withering response to DOJ antitrust suit

Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster are putting up a fight against federal efforts to scuttle their merger, alleging the government is wrong. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-12-13 21:40:35 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Defends Effort to Buy Simon & Schuster

The Biden administration has challenged the deal over concerns it would harm authors, but the publisher said that argument is a misunderstanding of how the book industry works. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-12-13 17:21:52 UTC ]
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“You cover that acid in comfort.” Read Toni Morrison’s 1973 edit letter to Lucille Clifton.

In addition to being a prolific novelist, Toni Morrison was a prolific editor. She was committed to championing Black writers, both through her role as senior editor at Random House and her work with writing collectives like The Sisterhood (which included literary giants like June Jordan, Alice... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-10 18:40:25 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of December 06, 2021

A debut novel by a HarperCollins UK editor goes to Putnam, former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III sells a memoir to Atria, Random House buys NBA winner Tiya Miles’s latest, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher Pulls Alice Sebold's Memoir As 1981 Rape Conviction Is Overturned

Simon & Schuster said it was working with the author on how to revise her 1999 book "Lucky" after Anthony Broadwater was cleared of the assault it describes. Continue reading at The Huffington Post

[ The Huffington Post | 2021-12-01 22:20:50 UTC ]
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Criminal stereotypes

I was 10 years old when I read my first crime fiction novel. A charity shop copy of Agatha Christie’s 1935 Death in the Clouds, gifted from my gran. For the 38 years since I have devoured crime fiction and thrillers. And I am not alone. In the UK in June 2020, the publishing industry saw a crime... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-30 22:50:13 UTC ]
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S&S seizes two more YA novels from TikTok sensation Silvera

Simon & Schuster has scooped two more "brilliant" YA novels from Adam Silvera, including a new book set in the same universe as his viral TikTok phenomenon They Both Die at The End (S&S).   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-30 18:53:33 UTC ]
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Gina Gagliano to Leave Random House Graphic

Gina Gagliano, the founder and publishing director of Random House Graphic, Random House Children's Books’ graphic novel imprint, is leaving the company effective December 3. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Dohle optimistic about publishing's future and insists S&S acquisition 'pro-competitive'

Penguin Random House worldwide chief executive Markus Dohle says he is "optimistic" about the future of the publishing industry, claiming "it's the best time in this business since Gutenberg invented the printing press". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-20 11:07:03 UTC ]
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Publishing industry 'needs to collaborate' to improve sustainability

The publishing industry needs to collaborate in order to improve its sustainability, because the size of the challenge is “so enormous” FutureBook audiences were told today.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-20 06:42:09 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Authors and Creators Skew Heavily White

Penguin Random House’s first report auditing the diversity of its contributors found that the demographics of its authors, illustrators, translators, and other creators “do not reflect U.S. reader demographics when it comes to race and ethnicity.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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