The man who ushered classics like Catch-22 into the world, Gottlieb has reason to brag. But in his new memoir Avid Reader he prefers to downplay the editor’s role Joseph Heller, the author of Catch-22, once gave an interview where he credited his editor with kicking his work into shape. After the interview ran, Heller got an irritated phone call. The caller was his editor, Robert Gottlieb. Gottlieb told Heller to knock it off. “I felt then, and still do, that readers shouldn’t be made aware of editorial interventions,” Gottlieb writes in his new memoir, Avid Reader: A Life. “They have a right to feel that what they’re reading comes direct from the author to them.”Gottlieb’s book is full of stories like that one. He is a very unassuming person, for an alleged legend – a characterization he laughs at to me, saying his daughter pokes fun at him for so often being called it. Yet beginning at Simon & Schuster in the 1950s and 1960s, flourishing at Knopf in the 1970s and 1980s, and with a brief but memorable detour to the New Yorker (as an editor), Gottlieb’s editing pen has touched the manuscripts of most of the important American writers of the 20th century – and several of the British ones, too. He did it, though, as much from behind the scenes as he possibly could. “I’ve given very few interviews,” he told me when I met him at his book-lined townhouse on New York’s East Side. He is only giving this one now, he says, because he needs to help the publisher sell his book. ... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
Months after a federal court ruling blocked the Penguin Random House deal, the publisher Simon & Schuster is once again up for sale. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-02-14 17:17:54 UTC ]
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Last year’s historical fiction was all about the 60s, baby, while this year’s features more from the 1950s, the long 19th century, and the 1970s. I have bad news for Gen-Xers and Xennials: the 1990s are now historical fiction, and there’s plenty coming out about the tail end of the 20th century... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-30 09:52:54 UTC ]
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Fluctuating return-to-work policies, supply chain issues, and shifts in consumer spending were some of the ongoing issues publishing faced in 2022. And then there was the fallout from the decision by Judge Florence Pan that blocked Penguin Random House's purchase of Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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In September, Florence Pan was confirmed as the newest judge on the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. But before she could assume that new position, she became known in publishing circles as the judge who presided over the U.S. v. Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGAA... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The chief executive of the largest publisher in the U.S., Penguin Random House, has stepped down. Markus Dohle oversaw the attempted acquisition of Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-12-09 14:47:10 UTC ]
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Nick Fuller Googins makes the case for selling Simon & Schuster to… the employees of Simon & Schuster. | Lit Hub The 23 best old books we read (or reread) in 2022. | Lit Hub Reading Lists Read a new translation of “The Caucasus” by Ukrainian poet-hero Taras Shevchenko: “The bones / Of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-29 11:30:48 UTC ]
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Well, Simon & Schuster is not going to be sold, for now. A federal judge ruled in October that Penguin Random House couldn’t buy the publisher, and since then, Simon & Schuster’s parent company has decided against mounting an appeal. That said, the future of America’s third-largest... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-29 09:53:56 UTC ]
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Paramount is likely to seek a new home for the publisher after it terminated the sales agreement with Penguin Random House. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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After a judge blocked the sale of Simon & Schuster to Penguin Random House, S&S parent company Paramount pulls its sale offer and declines to appeal. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-11-21 22:50:02 UTC ]
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Penguin owner Bertelsmann will not appeal US judge’s ruling that merger would be illegal because it would hit authors’ payPenguin Random House, the world’s largest book publisher, and rival Simon & Schuster have scrapped a $2.2bn deal to merge, Penguin’s owner said in a statement on... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-11-21 22:41:38 UTC ]
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S&S has decided not to extend the deal's deadline, which prevents PRH from appealing the court's decision to block the merger. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-11-21 14:58:02 UTC ]
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With the purchase agreement between Paramount and Penguin Random House set to expire, reports from multiple media sources say that Simon & Schuster's parent company will let the deadline lapse, thereby killing the deal. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House’s agreement to buy Simon & Schuster is set to fall through. Simon & Schuster’s parent company decided not to extend it after a judge blocked the purchase. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-11-21 02:56:51 UTC ]
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The failure of a recent bid to merge two large publishing companies shines a light on a central issue of cultural powerDespite a rise in self-publishing, commercial publishers are still the main gatekeepers of what arrives on our bookshelves. As such, they have great cultural and – if a book... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-11-04 18:25:28 UTC ]
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The uncertainty comes at a time when publishing is facing slumping sales after a pandemic boom, and fears of recession. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-11-01 22:14:42 UTC ]
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A Federal Court has blocked Penguin Random House's acquisition of one of its main rivals, Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-11-01 16:06:02 UTC ]
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In the United States, Judge Pan rules against the merger of trade book publishers Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. The post Court Blocks PRH-Simon & Schuster Acquisition appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-01 02:36:58 UTC ]
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Biden administration receives a clear victory, with the judge ruling the blockbuster merger would diminish competition in book publishing. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-11-01 00:51:06 UTC ]
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Justice department argued the melding of the publishing house with Simon & Schuster would harm competition and authors’ payA US judge has blocked the $2.2bn planned merger of Penguin Random House, the world’s largest book publisher, with rival Simon & Schuster.Judge Florence Pan of the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-11-01 00:30:18 UTC ]
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The United States Senate voted on Tuesday to elevate the judge overseeing the lawsuit that will decide the fate of the proposed merger of Penguin Random House with Simon & Schuster to the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, filling the seat that belonged... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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