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 acquired two novels by broadcaster and Richard & Judy Book Club... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Simon & Schuster has acquired the autobiography of pop star Jessie J, with plans to publish... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A bit buried in last week’s iPad 3 excitement was the news that Apple, along with five major American book publishers, was given notice by the Justice Department that it’s about to be sued for colluding to raise prices. A tech giant can afford to shrug off something as petty as an anti-trust... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2012-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
(Bloomberg) - News Corp.'s HarperCollins and four other publishers probed by European Union need to address regulatory concerns before they can settle the antitrust case, the European Union's competition commissioner said. Joaquin Almunia, the antitrust chief, told reporters Monday that a... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
European Union antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia says that the Competition Commission is open to a settlement with publishers in the increasingly high-profile ebook price fixing case, but only if the companies address key regulatory issues. Almunia says regulators are coordinating with the Justice... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2012-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
While Apple and book publishers may find themselves on the precipice of an antitrust lawsuit from the Justice Department, filings in a concurrent civil class-action lawsuit obtained by BetaNews indicate that Apple has already admitted to two of the most damaging allegations in the case that the... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2012-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Justice Department has told Apple and five major publishers that it's planning to sue them for fixing ebook prices. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Justice Department is warning Apple and its publisher partners they may have to answer for their pricing model. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2012-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Irish author Patricia Scanlan has left Transworld for Simon & Schuster. The novelist, who... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Justice Department is reportedly preparing to go after Apple, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Penguin, Macmillan and HarperCollins following its investigation into alleged ebook price-rigging. The case centers around a deal to switch to agency pricing, where the vendor takes a 30 percent cut... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Justice Department has warned Apple Inc. and five of the biggest U.S. publishers that it plans to sue them for allegedly colluding to raise the price of electronic books, according to people familiar with the matter. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2012-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The U.S. Justice Department has warned Apple Inc. and five top book publishers that lawsuits over alleged ebook price fixing might be in the offing, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Oddly, Random House deciding to triple the price of its ebooks for libraries is being considered a compromise. While others, like Penguin, are pulling their electronic tomes from the virtual shelves of our lending institutions, Random House is at least willing to still play ball -- even if it's... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Simon & Schuster has acquired a novel called The Meryl Streep Movie Club, in which four women... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Simon & Schuster has acquired two books from debut novelist Kimberly McCreight in a "... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
CHESTERFIELD, MO, February 22, 2012 – Newspaper Data Exchange (NDX), innovators in media data aggregation in the publishing industry, will now have an exclusive license to enroll new affiliate members for the Audit Bureau of Circulations (A ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Hodder & Stoughton will publish an original audio digital short story by bestselling author... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Since ebooks first became a meaningful part of a publisher’s business in 2009, results at Simon & Schuster have followed a familiar pattern—a decline in revenue but an increase in earnings. Between 2009 and 2011, total sales at S&S dipped 0.7%, but adjusted operating income has jumped... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Penguin drops over-the-air downloads; now only Random House gives libraries unrestricted access to purchase and loan ebooks. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2012-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
After seeing Samsung's spirited swing at Apple users, Amazon's continuing anti-Apple pandering just feels weak. The new ad for the Kindle Fire pits a dorky, single iPad user against a Kindle-reading mom in a bikini—the same ice queen from the 2010 spot, though now she's warmed up a bit and seems... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2012-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this