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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Trade tributes to Lynda Bellingham

Lynda Bellingham’s fiction publisher Simon & Schuster has paid tribute to her as a “vibrant” woman who leaves “a truly wonderful literary legacy”. The British actress died yesterday (19th October) aged 66, after a battle with colon cancer. She wrote the novel Tell Me Tomorrow for Simon... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S to Go Agency With Amazon

As Hachette continues its stalemate with Amazon over ebook sales terms, Simon & Schuster has reached a new agreement with the e-tailer. Among other things, the new deal will allow S&S to set the prices on its ebooks, marking a return to the agency model. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HC signs celebrity biographies from Smith

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When Politics Gets in the Way of Innovation

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[ Wired | 2014-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Licensing Hotline: October 16

Simon & Schuster has secured the rights to produce Ready to Read books in North America based on the preschool series 'Doozers,' licensed by the Jim Henson Company. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Guild Names New Executive Director

Mary Rasenberger, a lawyer and six-year Copyright Office and Library of Congress veteran, will take over as executive director of the Authors Guild on November 3. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Saga Press E-books To Be DRM-Free

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Americas Authors Guild presses US justice department to get aggressive with Amazon

The literary body, representing 9,000 authors, is calling on the US government to launch a competition investigation into Amazon, following the long-running dispute between the internet retailer and publisher HachetteAmericas Authors Guild has met with the US department of justice to call for an... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Howard Books Signs 'Shack' Author to New Deal

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Moving In Together: Canadian Publishing 2014

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Publishing’s Holding Pattern: 2014 Salary Survey

PW's annual salary survey reveals an eye-opening lack of diversity in the publishing industry, an enduring pay gap between men and women, and an increasingly optimistic workforce. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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