Leave Penguin Alone

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 lawsuit over books, but for HarperCollins, Penguin, MacMillan, Hachette, and Simon & Schuster (full disclosure: my publisher) the implications are potentially quite dire. Scott Turow, president of the Authors Guild, went further and argued that “everyone who cherishes a rich literary culture” should be alarmed by the DOJ’s actions. He’s wrong. If there’s a case against the government’s actions it’s that the forces of disruption buffeting traditional publishing are much too large to be blocked by any cartel. The good news is that literary culture should survive either way. Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2012-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #leave penguin #justice department #raise prices #tech giant #authors guild #literary culture

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Kathy Rooney leaves Bloomsbury

Bloomsbury Information m.d. Kathy Rooney has left the company as part of a restructure. Rooney, part of the senior management team at the publisher, left at the end of May to pursue other opportunities, beginning with a non-executive role at information management platform Librios. Vafa... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the UK, Penguin Random House v. Amazon is New Normal

Strike up the band: Amazon and Penguin Random House are in a contract dispute in the UK, prompting another round of hand-wringing and buy-button action. The post In the UK, Penguin Random House v. Amazon is New Normal appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Verlag set up in Germany

HarperCollins, which will start publishing German-language books in the autumn, is not the only international publisher to set up shop in Germany. Munich-based Verlagsgruppe Random House has just announced the launch of Penguin Verlag. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ex-BBC executive behind Little Britain joins Penguin Random House UK

Caroline Raphael takes up role as head of audio operations at world’s biggest book publisherFormer BBC radio executive Caroline Raphael, who was responsible for Little Britain, The League of Gentlemen and Cabin Pressure, is to join the world’s biggest book publisher as head of audio operations... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon and Penguin Random House said to be in dispute

Industry sources say Penguin may block sales of its books on Amazon because of a contract dispute, but both sides are playing down the rowThe world’s biggest publisher, Penguin Random House, could block sales of its books on Amazon if it fails to resolve a contract dispute with the online... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Neil to leave WHS

W H Smith’s book director Michael Neil will be leaving the business at the end of May. Neil joined W H Smith at the beginning of 2014 as its business unit director for books. In this role, he has been responsible for the full books and ebooks offer at WH Smith High Street and has delivered a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Edwards Leaving Top Post at Orion

Malcolm Edwards has announced that he will step down as deputy CEO and publisher of the British house at the end of 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House launches new US site

Penguin Random House in the US has launched a new consumer-facing website under a unified branding. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cox to cover Skipper's leave at Waterstones

Waterstones' director of buying Kate Skipper will take maternity leave at the end of the month. In her absence, Melissa Cox, head of range and children's, will assume responsibility for the new titles and publisher liaison teams, while Caroline McNulty, category manager for related products,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Debuts New Unified Website

The publisher's newly designed website, which brings Random House and Penguin together online, is optimized for mobile devices and, according to PRH CEO Marcus Dohle is “consumer-focused.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Hotline Brings Tailored Book Recs to Canada

PRH's U.S. division successfully launched the program in December 2014, and received 32,000 page views and 3,600 requests for recommendations during its first month alone. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thomson to leave BookBrunch

Liz Thomson, founding editor of BookBrunch, is to step down from her role after the London Book Fair in order to devote more time to her musical interests. Thomson said: "I remain fascinated by the book trade but want to liberate myself from day-to-day news deadline. I've always been more... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scribd Subscription Adds Penguin Random Audiobooks

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gay penguins on disputed book list

A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin again features on a list of books to have received the most complaints from library users. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2015-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Young Readers Partners with Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution and Penguin Young Readers are collaborating on a new series of narrative non-fiction books riffing on the Smithsonian experience The post Penguin Young Readers Partners with Smithsonian Institution appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette, Penguin Random House Back Revision to Indiana Religious Freedom Law

The Hachette Book Group and Penguin Random House have both issued statements commending Indiana legislators for revising the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Platform will target teen audience

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scarrow moves to MCB from Penguin

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales and profits rise at 'stronger' Penguin Random House

Penguin Random House delivered a "strong performance in its first full year after the merger", media group Bertelsmann has said. Penguin Random House chief executive Markus Dohle said the combined businesses had "made a powerful statement: We are stronger together" describing 2014 as "a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Deals Drove Growth at Penguin Random House

Total revenue at Penguin Random House rose 25.2% in 2014 to 3.32 billion euros, while EBITDA increased 24.5% to 452 million euros. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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