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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Julia Kingsford, chief executive of World Book Night, reported that the promotion was carried out... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With a global television network operation in place, Bloomberg News is using video clips from its shows as well as Web-only videos to produce some 200 clips per day, signaling a new "digital first" approach, says Chris Berend ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self publishing might be hot now, but under the Soviets in 1992, writer Andrei Kurkov had no other choice. He discusses what he learned and why surrealism suits Russian writers. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury has created an ebook to mark of the 150th edition of the Wisden Cricketers'... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Givers across the country are gearing up to take part in this evening's World Book Night,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A German court has ruled that digital books cannot be resold by purchasers. The German District... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Night 2013 is being marked by a free hand out of 500,000 books and hundreds of literary events around the country. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jingdong, China's third place commercial online bookstore, is boosting its challenge to Dangdang and Amazon's dominance by focusing on service and international titles. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Visitors to London's Science Museum will be offered a free ebook from author Tony White, to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Fundación El Libro and Buenos Aires Book Fair have added another 20 new names to the original 50 on their list of the most inspiring people in the Spanish-language book trade. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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L.A. Times Festival of Books: Joyce Carol Oates, Carol Burnett, Lemony Snicket and Jamaica Kincaid are among the 500 authors appearing at this weekend's festival for readers of all ages.Since background-check legislation was voted down in the Senate on Thursday, Adam Winkler, author of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The China Shanghai International Book Fair is launching a new children’s book fair, which... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amsterdam will take on the role of city of honor at the upcoming Buenos Aires Book Fair and strengthen the relationship between Latin America and Holland. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The books series cited as being most often subject to complaints in 2012, as determined by a study by the American Library Association, wes Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants books. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week's London Book Fair saw a return to the hectic fair auctions of pre-recession years... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has confirmed it has had talks on publishing a book from Oscar-winning singer Adele... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As World Book Night approaches again, a list of rankings shows where volunteers – who give away free books on April 23 – are most heavily clustered in the US. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher–generated online communities, such as HarperCollins’ InkPop, Gollancz... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The first book printed in America is expected to fetch up to $30m (£20m) when it goes under the hammer in New York later this year. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books with first hand accounts of life in North Korea are rare, so John Sweeney's Zombie Nation and Jang Jin-Sung's Crossing the Border are generating unique buzz at the London Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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