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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London Book Fair 2014: Ebershoff Takes Up With the ‘Hausfrau’

A late addition to the hot books at the London Book Fair is a debut novel called "Hausfrau" that Random House's David Ebershoff preempted world rights to on Friday. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Check it Out with Michael Kelley: Simon & Schuster’s E-book Lending Pilot

When it comes to the library ebook lending market, it’s fair to say that Simon & Schuster has been the most cautious of the major houses. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Guild's Constantine Testifies

In testimony delivered before a House subcommittee, AG counsel Jan Constantine recapped the AG’s long running copyright dispute with Google and offered one possible solution—a collective licensing agreement for digital presentation rights to out-of-print books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge approves class-action suit against Apple in ebooks case

A New York judge has given the go-ahead for a group to collectively sue Apple for damages over its collusion with publishers to fix the price of electronic books.Denise Cote, a judge at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, wrote in her approval of class status that... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S signs two from Lynda La Plante

Simon & Schuster has signed two new books from Lynda La Plante covering the early life of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Only the Beginning For PRH

Commenting on the merger of Random House and Penguin, Thomas Rabe, CEO of RH parent company Bertelsmann, wrote in the company’s annual report that the “formation of Penguin Random House is the best possible path to new growth in the book industry—and to new growth for Bertelsmann.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's customers get credits from ebook antitrust settlement

Customers of Amazon.com Inc. found credits in their inboxes Tuesday from the settlement of an antitrust lawsuit over ebook prices. Amazon, in a Customer FAQ posting on its website, said the credits are partial refunds and will be applied automatically to the accounts of those eligible: people... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2014-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ukrainian Book Publishing Fears Hard Times Ahead

Ukraine's new government is considering withdrawing support for the publishing industry and eliminating tax and other benefits for publishers to save cash. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vintage Launches Movie Classics Line

Random House is going after film buffs. The publisher's Vintage Books imprint has created Vintage Movie Classics to release backlist books that served as the basis for iconic films. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lansens signs two with S&S

The Girls author Lori Lansens has moved from Virago to Simon & Schuster for a new two-book... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How the Meat Industry Keeps Chicken Prices High

This essay is excerpted from The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America’s Food Business, by Christopher Leonard, published by Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Meat Industry 1, Obama Administration 0

This essay is excerpted from The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America’s Food Business, by Christopher Leonard, published by Simon & Schuster. Read another excerpt from The Meat Racket, about how Tyson keeps chicken prices high. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air March 4, 2014: Jaron Lanier

Jaron Lanier, author of "Who Own the Future" (Simon & Schuster, 9781451654974), will appear on the "Colbert Report" on Tuesday, March 4. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indian STM Publishing Worth $200m, 20% Growth, 2% Ebooks

A snapshot of STM publishing in India, which represents 84% of the publishing industry's profits in the country, from this February's GLOBALOCAL conference. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House to publish first from Geithner

Random House Business Books is to publish a book by former US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Job Moves: February 26, 2014

After 34 years at Simon & Schuster, sales rep Michael Carley will be retiring on April 22. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air February 18, 2014: Su Meck

Su Meck, author of "I Forgot to Remember: A Memoir of Amnesia" (Simon & Schuster, 9781451685817), will appear on the "Diane Rehm Show" on Wednesday, February 19. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S buys Johnny Rotten memoir

Simon & Schuster has signed the world rights to a new autobiography by Sex Pistols singer... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Second 2014 novel for Stephen King

Hodder & Stoughton will publish Stephen King’s second novel of 2014, Revival, in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Native vs Cross-Platform Apps – What’s Better for Digital Newspapers?

2 years ago it was "nice to have" a mobile strategy for large and medium-sized companies. But today the reality is that a mobile strategy is a must-have for all businesses of all sizes. And the publishing industry is no exception.  Toda ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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