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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Granta Books has signed a non-fiction account of Russian band and political protest group Pussy... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'1984' book sales are rising after the Edward Snowden revelations about NSA spying. The topic of 'Big Brother' watching has spurred the sales of George Orwell's "1984" and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World." Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The head of Apple's iBookstore says Apple has captured 20 percent of the U.S. ebook market. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Amazon-owned Book Depository made a pre-tax profit of more than £15m in 2012 after... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple may not have been quite as indifferent to publishers' deals with Amazon as it professes to be. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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National Book Tokens is launching a rewards programme for customers and a direct marketing... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A rare copy of Action Comics No. 1 – which includes the first appearance of Superman – sold for $175,000 after being hidden for more than 70 years. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The ongoing DOJ lawsuit against Apple and scandal at the NSA have underscored the divide between the US and Europe when it comes to the book business, privacy and information. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Philipp Meyer re-envisions the comic book in a Braille-like format. His simple story uses basic shapes but packs an emotional punch. Comics, by nature, depend on visual storytelling. Philipp Meyer, an industrial design student at Potsdam’s University of Applied Sciences, wanted to introduce... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While a high-calibre jury of writers and critics ponders the nominees for this year's Children's Book Awards, we have asked the true experts. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2013-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trade publishers contacted by the Society of Authors over the issue of ebook lending are using a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Most museums have publishing departments and bookstores, so publishing exhibition-related fiction shouldn't be much of a stretch and might enhance the patron's experience. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Starr's book will be illustrated by children's books illustrator and author Ben Cort. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Society of Authors has warned that authors may be losing out twice over on ebook loans, with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sony is expanding the range of augmented reality titles available for the PlayStation 3 with the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent publisher Icon Books has won the Times Sports Book of the Year Award with Steven Reid... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Porter Anderson takes on the distraction of publishing non-controversies, a new guide for self-publishing, BEA chief Steve Rosato's response to last week's critique of BEA and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-published titles make up 12% of all ebook sales, according to new findings from Bowker... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The dominance of Amazon and the importance of copyright were two key themes of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The latest from PublishNews Brazil includes the announcement Saraiva has launched a self-publishing platform and Abril Media Group has acquired ebook aggregator Xeriph. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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