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 takes off – economic power. A case decided in a US court this week provided an insight into just how much of that power is now concentrated in a small handful of multinational companies.At issue was a planned merger of Simon & Schuster with Penguin Random House (PRH) – two of the so-called big five, which between them control 90% of the US publishing market, a fact not always obvious to the casual observer, as books usually carry on their spines the names of imprints, or subdivisions, of the parent company. PRH, itself the result of a mega-merger in 2013, runs about 300 imprints. Given the reach of these companies – PRH is active in more than 20 countries – the Department of Justice’s successful argument that the planned $2.2bn deal would “exert outsized influence over which books are published in the United States and how much authors are paid for their work” applies globally. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2022-11-04 18:25:28 UTC ]
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Rupert Murdoch bowed to investor pressure to split his six-decade-old publishing business from the rest of News Corp. (NWSA)’s media empire. Now it’s time for the newspaper unit to prove it can make it on its own. The publishing ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Templar is launching a new imprint this autumn with a list of colouring-in books for all ages.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Daunt Books imprint is to begin publishing original fiction, in an "exciting development... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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During the annual meeting of the bookstore company, CEO Heather Reisman said 'the new Indigo will be a global company.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Startup Crowd the Book launched in March, is using selective, online marketing to try and 'create a wildfire around great books published by small presses.' Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This portable app's website says "Bright Snippet Sire," but everybody calls this open-source favorite Briss for…er…short. Briss crops a section of a PDF file and creates another PDF file of the cropped area. You can crop unwanted areas from PDFs with Briss. It's free, open-source, and portable,... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In what is being called "an unprecedented show of solidarity," hundreds of Europe's leading publishers have joined forces to call on European Commission Vice President Joaquín Almunia to reject outright the draft measures offered by Google to end their abusive practices. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2013-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The French government announced a plan to introduce a law to stop Amazon from offering discounts and free delivery for books, citing it as "unfair" competitive practice. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge Denise Cote seemed inclined to rule for the Department of Justice at the beginning of the trial, but her remarks as the case closed seemed to indicate a shift towards Apple's side. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Nick Harkaway has called for authors to be offered a greater share of royalties from e-... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Laura Hassan is to leave her role as editorial director of Vintage Classics to join Guardian... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German publishers will disappear from Google News on Aug. 1 unless they opt in to the service as Google seeks to comply with a new German law. But the publishers said on Monday that this is not good enough, they want a share in Google's revenue.The law will come into effect on Aug. 1 and gives... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jennie Bristow, associate fellow at the University of Kent, says grown-ups read children's books because they feel 'disenchanted with adult culture'. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher John Blake has signed world rights to a new title about the life of Nelson Mandela [... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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June 21, 2013, ATLANTA, GA – Southern Newspaper Publishers Association launched a re-designed website this week designed to serve the needs of newspaper executives by providing a new source of ideas, solutions, resources and information. ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For much of the year, Andrej Bauer spent more time on GitHub than he did on Facebook. But Bauer wasn't writing software. A mathematician by profession, he was embarking on a bold adventure in online collaboration. He and about two dozen other mathematicians used GitHub to write a book. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2013-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Among the curiosities for sale at last week's Seoul International Book Fair were Borges-themed beach gear and tiny hand-bound artists books from a tiny Irish island. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Since Google News began, publishers have complained that it scrapes their content and offers little in return, letting readers get vital parts of stories as short snippets. In late 2012, the site settled with Belgian publishers after a six-year-long ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Online subscription services have proved successful for entertainment businesses like Netflix, Hulu, and Spotify, but other than O’Reilly’s Safari Books Online, which is geared to professionals, trade ebook subscriptions have gained little traction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite its "Defend Your Net" campaign last year, Google was unable to fully put the brakes on changes to German copyright law that may mean it has to pay up for news excerpts it indexes. As a result, the company announced that unlike the other 60 countries where Google News operates by relying... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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