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 ]
Simon & Schuster has made two appointments to its editorial team in Canada, while confirming the departure of two other staff members. Nita Pronovost will now be joining the Canada operation as editorial director from her position as senior editor at Doubleday where she built “an impressive... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has launched a new series of online courses starring S&S authors, who will "expand on and complement" their published work in video tutorials. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One day about three years after I’d left the New Yorker to become a book editor, Alberto Vitale—former CEO of Random House, Inc., a genial, intelligent, and remarkably tan businessman, originally from Italy and Olivetti—stopped me in the hall outside my office. “Profesore, how are you?” Alberto... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2015-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After suffering two major defeats in its legal battle with Google’s library scanning partners, the Authors Guild this week finally ended the litigation. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has seen an "especially" productive year in business, with "encouraging" sales seen after joining US and UK subscription platforms. In an end-of-year letter to staff and authors, Carolyn Reidy, president and c.e.o of Simon & Schuster in the US, said the publisher had... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster UK is to allow libraries to lend its full catalogue of nearly 14,000 ebook titles, effective immediately. Following what the publisher said was a "successful" pilot scheme, it is expanding access to its full catalogue of ebooks to libraries nationwide in the UK. A similar... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On his blog, Paul Aiken, former executive director of the Authors Guild, revealed that he has found success in using corticosteroids to combat his ALS/MND symptoms. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ingrid Selberg, m.d of Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Division, is to leave the publisher at the end of this month. S&S said Selberg had resigned from her position after 11 years at the company for personal reasons, and that a replacement was being sought. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google removed its news aggregation service from Spain a few days ago, but the Spanish Newspaper Publishers’ Association (AEDE) is already asking the government to bring it back. AEDE claims the removal of Google News will be bad business for the publishing industry overall and will have more of... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Suzanne Donahue, v-p and associate publisher at Simon & Schuster, will be leaving the company on December 22. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a presentation to analysts on December 9, at the UBS Media Conference, CBS CEO Leslie Moonves said Simon & Schuster’s new sales agreement with Amazon is better for both S&S, and authors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Olivia Morris will be assistant editor of Pan Macmillan’s new lifestyle imprint headed up by Carole Tonkinson. Morris comes to Pan Macmillan from Simon & Schuster, where she held the role of Editorial Assistant. She previously worked as assistant to literary agent at Diane Banks... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google’s effort to scan and digitize millions of library books violates copyright law and deprives authors of licensing fees, royalties and sales, a lawyer for the Authors Guild told an appeals court in New York yesterday (3rd December). The Authors Guild has taken its battle with Google over... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Authors Guild, hoping to upend the 2013 decision favoring Google in its lawsuit over the company's library book scanning project, presented oral arguments in court, on Wednesday. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If squabbles over format, pricing and Amazon have led the US publishing industry to neglect an ever more diverse audience, we have forgotten why people read books in the first placeThe true price of publishingAt the recent National Book Awards ceremony in New York City, presenter and bestselling... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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By Robert M. Sacks Do you ever wonder if the publishing industry has learned enough in the last five years to be more effective and more profitable in the next five years? Of course, effective is a relative term... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2014-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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By Marcelle Soviero The publishing industry is busting out of business models as quickly as we can devise new ones. I think in 2015 we will see more product differentiation and more product offerings. These... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2014-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Actor Stanley Tucci and literary agent Felicity Blunt have written a cookbook. The couple’s book features recipes from Tucci’s traditional Italian roots, as well as those of his British wife Blunt, who is an agent at Curtis Brown. Recipes include pasta alla bottarga, mushroom-stuffed trout,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Campaign group Authors United will continue its “efforts to persuade” the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department in the US to look into Amazon’s market practices, saying there are "still many open questions about Amazon's market power". The group was set up by American author Douglas... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has acquired a debut novel by G M Erades, in Rowan Cope's first acquisition for the publishers since she joined as editorial director for fiction. Cope signed British Commonwealth rights for To Moscow, in a pre-empt from Cathryn Summerhayes at WME. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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