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 ]
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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Every few months, I receive an email or phone call from someone who claims to work for a literary agency or publishing entity. In the lengthy messages variegated with bold-faced sentences, or voicemails in which the speaker mispronounces my maiden name, I’m promised six-figure book deals with... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-22 08:52:55 UTC ]
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Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sells an autobiography to Simon & Schuster, Gallery Books takes a memoir by ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Laura Z. Hobson’s “Gentleman’s Agreement” was so popular that Simon & Schuster could barely keep up with demand. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-08-18 14:41:29 UTC ]
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The proposed merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster could lead to fewer voices — including marginalized voices — being published. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-08-18 10:09:48 UTC ]
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A survey released by the Association of American Literary Agents has found that 87% of respondents oppose the acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House, citing, among their chief concerns, that the deal would result in “less competition” for titles and “lower advances.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The antitrust trial to block the merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster has riveted the industry—and raised larger questions about the business of books. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2022-08-16 16:22:22 UTC ]
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As the Department of Justice’s case against the proposed acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House entered its third week, the defense called PRH US CEO Madeline McIntosh, plus merger and acquisition executives from ViacomCBS and PRH, to the stand to discuss why approval of the... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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