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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Panelists addressing the issue of what a healthy publishing industry looks like concluded that, while the industry is suffering some severe aches and pains, creative remedies could bolster the book business—as long as industry leaders are willing to reimagine old formulas. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-05-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The online virtual reality experience that almost every tech giant today wishes to commercially exploit may not catch onIn the 1992 sci-fi dystopia Snow Crash, the author Neal Stephenson imagined a bleak 21st century where the collapse of the global economy had seen governments fall and their... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-02-07 19:11:48 UTC ]
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The downturn in print book sales in Russia may have been as deep as between 50 and 70 percent, according to editor Svetlana Zorin. The post Year-End Russian Book Publishing Industry Assessment: ‘Seriously Difficult’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-01-04 14:35:09 UTC ]
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People want stories and that means cultivating a publishing ecosystem where big and small can flourishThis week both the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority and the Department of Justice in the US announced investigations into the planned $2.2bn acquisition of the publisher Simon &... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-03-28 17:25:47 UTC ]
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Italian publishers see 'encouraging signs of an upturn,' as data from Nielsen and Informazioni Editoriali shows revenue losses were cut in half in July. The post Italian Book Industry: Publishers’ Study Sees ‘Signs of Recovery’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-07-28 14:58:45 UTC ]
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Exports in 2019 rose 3.3 percent over those of 2018 for the UK market, as revealed in today's report on last year's pre-pandemic performance. The post UK Book Industry: Publishers Call for Aid, Reporting 2019’s Success appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-07-22 13:29:07 UTC ]
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It’s no surprise that people read a lot when stuck at home. But novels are more than a way to kill timeIt’s no surprise that keen readers have looked to books for historical analogues or literary insights into the coronavirus outbreak. Sales of the English translation of Albert Camus’s 1947... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-04-19 17:25:44 UTC ]
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Publishers Weekly has been providing news to book businesses since 1872, weathering many world crises since then. While the coronavirus pandemic brings new challenges to the magazine and the book industry it serves, current technologies are enabling the publisher to adapt. Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2020-04-09 16:57:30 UTC ]
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Everyone’s favourite stormtrooper will be developing new movies with Netflix – one of several creators who have turned to enabling the work of othersToni Morrison knew a thing or two about stories. In 1994 she saw the “political correctness debate” as being about “the power to be able to define.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-03-15 18:32:03 UTC ]
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This year’s Booker and Turner prizes tell us artists and even judges are repudiating the winner-takes-all award. It may be time to find new ways to celebrate the artsThe past year has been a curious one for cultural prizes. The Booker, when the judges failed to agree on a single winner, ended up... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-12-15 18:25:01 UTC ]
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The US experience of watching sport online should ring alarm bells for those who prize the Premier League’s ability to bring people togetherIn the late 1960s, the American author and tech seer Richard Brautigan wrote lyrically of “a cybernetic meadow / where mammals and computers / live together... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-12-02 18:49:42 UTC ]
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As we enter the fourth industrial revolution, book publishing and manufacturing are being affected by automation, data exchange, artificial intelligence, and more. This webinar will explore what it means for publishers and manufacturers, what industry leaders are already doing, and how they plan... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2019-08-05 15:22:41 UTC ]
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Social media cannot ensure they only publish truths. But what about deliberate falsehoods designed to damage?Are social media companies responsible for the lies their users tell? Both the obvious answers, “yes” and “no”, are clearly wrong. Complete responsibility is a bad idea, and impossible in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-05-27 17:25:07 UTC ]
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Midtown Comics in New York. Movie and TV adaptations have fueled growth in the comic book industry: Sales in 2018 rose $80 million from the previous year. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The social media advertising giants of the web have great power. When they admit this, they will come under pressureThe decision by Facebook to ban six prominent figures of the alt-right movement, along with Louis Farrakhan, from both Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram, is a significant... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If they succeed in distracting commuters from their smartphones, short story dispensers will be a welcome addition to the landscapeCan fiction miniatures dispensed through slots lure commuters away from their smartphone apps and social media feeds into the imaginary worlds created by authors... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This year's London Book Fair coincides with the arrival of the International Publishers Association's new president and vice-president, leading 'a conversation of public debate' about publishers' role amid 'sensitive socio-cultural issues.' The post Ahead of London Book Fair: IPA’s New... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Corporate sponsorship needs to steer clear of impinging on artistic freedomsNews that investment managers the Man Group is withdrawing its sponsorship from the Booker prize after 18 years has shocked the literary world. The hedge fund’s decision to move on was linked in the press to novelist... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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These days, most writers cannot afford to live secluded from their public. But when a very private author like Thomas Harris announces a new novel, there’s always special excitementAuthors – at least as far as their relationship with the public goes – fall into several distinct categories. There... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent publishers based in the north of England explore the problems faced by such presses in a market dominated by London-based corporate publishers in a round-table discussion chaired by The Bookseller at Bradford Literature Festival. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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