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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Want to help stop book bans? The Authors Guild has tools for you.

If you’ve been paying attention to local news in the past year, you’ve likely noticed the concerning wave of book bans sweeping the nation. Books by authors of color; books that acknowledge historical atrocities; books featuring LGBTQ+ characters; sex education books for teens; all are under... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-02-09 19:49:33 UTC ]
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Jason Epstein, Legendary Editor and Book Biz Innovator, Dies at 93

The longtime Random House editor, who combined a deep passion for books with a shrewd business mind and, as a result, made multiple major contributions to 20th Century literary and publishing history, died on February 4. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-02-07 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Jason Epstein, publishing executive who shaped literary tastes, dies at 93

He founded Anchor Books, publishing high-quality paperbacks in the 1950s, then led Random House and helped launch the New York Review of Books. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-02-05 02:25:43 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of February 07, 2022

Former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder sells a book about voting rights to One World, Random House buys a memoir from Deadwood creator David Milch, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-02-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers, Agencies Start Receiving Subpoenas as DoJ-PRH Case Ramps Up

As Penguin Random House and the Department of Justice continue to prepare for an August trial in which PRH hopes to block the government’s effort to kill its acquisition of Simon & Schuster, professionals throughout the industry are finding themselves pulled into the legal fray. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-02-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Trade figures' Beatles band come together again for NLT fundraiser

Shabby Road, a Beatles tribute band formed by members of the publishing industry, are to hold a fundraising concert for the National Literary Trust this spring, following their sell-out debut gig for the charity in 2019.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-31 11:57:55 UTC ]
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AAP StatShot: The United States’ Publishing Industry Gained 12.2 Percent in 2021

The final 2021 report from the Association of American Publishers shows December up 2.8 percent over December 2020, at US$1.1 billion. The post AAP StatShot: The United States’ Publishing Industry Gained 12.2 Percent in 2021 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-01-26 16:01:07 UTC ]
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Hodder signs King's 'magnificent' Fairy Tale for September release

Stephen King has written  “a magnificent and terrifying tale” about a teenage boy with keys to a parallel world. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-25 09:54:00 UTC ]
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Rubin's behind the scenes publishing memoir goes to Applause Books

Stephen Rubin, a consulting publisher at Simon & Schuster US, has written a behind the scenes memoir, Words and Music: Confessions of an Optimist, to be published by Applause Books in the US in January 2023.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-24 03:29:19 UTC ]
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Chasing History review: Carl Bernstein’s pre-Watergate world

Before he helped bring down Richard Nixon, the reporter grew up in a school of hard knocks. His memoir is a treasureFew reporters are synonymous with their craft. Bob Woodward of the Washington Post is one, his former partner, Carl Bernstein, another. Together, they broke open the Watergate... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-01-16 07:00:43 UTC ]
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Americans are buying more books—but reading fewer of them than ever. What gives?

The publishing industry is booming. According to Publishers Weekly, sales of print books rose 8.9% in 2021, selling 825.7 million units, up from 757.9 million in 2020. This is the second year in a row to see a similar sales jump; in 2020, sales were up 8.2% from 2019, in which 693.7 million... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-12 19:07:42 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

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[ 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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