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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Bethany Buck Named Editorial Director at Sky Pony

Bethany Buck, a veteran of the children's publishing industry, will join Skyhorse Publishing as editorial director of its children’s imprint on March 21. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cheung moves to Piatkus in two-book deal

Author and spiritualist Theresa Cheung has found a new publisher in Piatkus, after previously being published by Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Apple boosted ebook prices and accidentally tanked sales

Apple suffered a final defeat in its legal fight with the US Justice Department over ebooks this week, when the Supreme Court refused to hear the company's appeal. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2016-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Supreme Court Rejects Apple’s Appeal

At its March 4 conference, the Supreme Court declined to take up Apple’s appeal in its ebook price-fixing case, effectively ending one of the publishing industry's most closely-watched cases. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can Simon & Schuster's new Muslim imprint ease publishing's diversity problem?

The new Salaam imprint, focused on Muslim characters and stories, is expected to launch in 2017 with nine books, from picture books for children to Young Adult titles for tweens and teens. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S to publish Jaycee Lee Dugard book on freedom

Simon & Schuster is set to publish Freedom: My Book of Firsts, a memoir by Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was kidnapped in the US aged 11 and held prisoner for 18 years. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster’s Salaam Reads Focuses on Muslim Characters and Stories

Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing has announced the launch of Salaam Reads, focusing on Muslim characters and stories. The post Simon & Schuster’s Salaam Reads Focuses on Muslim Characters and Stories appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-02-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of February 29, 2016

Simon & Schuster’s Atheneum imprint buys a picture book by Richard T. Morris, Da Capo nabs a book about the battle of Antietam, Dial signs Jessica Taylor for two YA novels, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Protecting Intellectual Property Remains the Top Job for Association of American Publishers

The publishing industry's trade association had a busy year protecting copyright in a changing market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Born To Run: Bruce Springsteen autobiography coming in September

Bruce Springsteen has penned his autobiography, set for international release through Simon & Schuster this September. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Profits Up Nearly 13% At Simon & Schuster

An increase in operating efficiencies, higher backlist sales, and lower returns drove double-digit earnings increases. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing Industry Speculates About Expansion Plans for Amazon Books

Opinions were mixed about what Amazon's rumored plans to open more physical bookstores could mean for the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Guild Gets Support in Google Case

Malcolm Gladwell and Ursula K. Le Guin, are among those supporting the Authors Guild’s bid to have the Supreme Court review its case against Google. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Egmont, Andersen and S&S lead Branford Boase longlist

Egmont, Andersen Press and Simon & Schuster each have three books on the longlist for this year’s Branford Boase award. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebook sales falling for the first time, finds new report

Research by the Bookseller shows that sales for the ‘big five’ UK publishers dropped in 2015Ebook sales for the UK’s five biggest publishers fell in 2015, according to a new report in the Bookseller, collectively declining 2.4%, to 47.9m units. It is the first drop in numbers of books sold in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Libraries have betrayed publishers', festival hears

A heated debate about the role of libraries in supporting the publishing industry has broken out at the Inpress Publishing Festival, with one publisher alleging libraries had "completely betrayed" the sector. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Selberg pens vlogging fiction series for MCB

Ingrid Selberg, the former m.d. of Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Division, is teaming up with Emma Young to write a middle-grade fiction series about vloggers for Macmillan Children’s Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Guild's Paul Aiken Dead at Age 56

Paul Aiken, the former long-time executive director of the Authors Guild, died Friday January 29, one day shy of his 57th birthday. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing industry is overwhelmingly white and female, US study finds

Survey of workforce at 34 book publishers and eight review journals in US reveals 79% of staff are white and 78% female – with UK numbers still unmonitoredMan Booker winner Marlon James: ‘Writers of colour pander to the white woman’A survey of American publishing has found that it is blindingly... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors United to Host Amazon Discussion

The author advocacy group critical of Amazon known as Authors United has joined with the Authors Guild to host a discussion about the retailer’s power and influence in the book trade. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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