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 ]
Simon & Schuster has acquired the third title in The Runaway Pea series by Kjartan Poskitt and illustrator Alex Willmore, in addition to an untitled picture book. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-08 05:13:15 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster is to publish two standalone children's books by author, comedian and Radio X DJ Danny Wallace. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-04 10:38:04 UTC ]
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Pandemic Dispatches Elena Poniatowska In this column that originally appeared in La Jornada, Elena Poniatowska considers the role of editors and talks with Diego Rabasa, founder of publisher Sexto Piso. Already precarious, the pandemic lockdown has made... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-06-03 21:05:48 UTC ]
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Cultural Cross Sections Elena Poniatowska In this column that originally appeared in La Jornada, Elena Poniatowska considers the role of editors and talks with Diego Rabasa, founder of publisher Sexto Piso. Already precarious, the pandemic lockdown has... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-06-03 21:05:48 UTC ]
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Veteran book publishing copy editor and actor India Cooper died on May 17 in Madison, Ind., after a brief illness. She was 67. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster and Macmillan US have followed HarperCollins and Pan Macmillan in announcing that they will not attend this year's Frankfurt Book Fair. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-01 09:13:28 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster in the US has promoted Jonathan Karp to president and c.e.o. following the unexpected death of Carolyn Reidy earlier this month. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-28 16:54:25 UTC ]
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Jonathan Karp, who joined S&S in June 2010 as publisher of Simon & Schuster’s flagship imprint and was promoted to president and publisher of Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing in 2018, has been tapped to succeed the late Carolyn Reidy as president and CEO. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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At BookExpo Online, the APA's executive director, Michele Cobb, will be joined by Chris Lynch from Simon & Schuster, Cathy Forrest from HarperCollins, and Michael Anderle from LMBPN to discuss the state of the audio industry and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Reidy died Tuesday of a heart attack at age 71. She joined Simon & Schuster in 1992 as president of the trade division. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-05-12 17:58:46 UTC ]
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Carolyn Reidy, president and CEO of Simon & Schuster since 2008, died of a heart attack on May 12. She was 71. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster's worldwide revenues rose to $170m in the three months to the end of March, up from $164m in the same quarter in 2019, parent company ViacomCBS has reported. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-11 08:42:31 UTC ]
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Marian Wood, a veteran editor and former v-p and publisher of an eponymous imprint at G.P. Putnam's Sons, died over the weekend. Penguin Random House called Wood's time in the business, which began in the 1970s, "one of the most illustrious careers in publishing." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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First quarter sales rose 4% at Simon & Schuster over last year's first period, led by gains in digital audio and e-books, but the outlook for rest of 2020 is uncertain. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers McGraw-Hill and Cengage have mutually agreed to call off their planned merger. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-04 10:50:25 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House owner Bertelsmann has reported a first quarter revenue decline of 2.7% in what it said was a “satisfactory” performance given the challenge of Covid-19. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-29 16:46:13 UTC ]
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In recent weeks, with much of the world under orders to stay at home, many members of the public have been twitchy about people breaking the rules. In New Zealand, a police website crashed under the weight of civilians signing on to report violators—part of what Time magazine referred to, in a... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-04-29 12:07:12 UTC ]
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Today marks the fifth week we have recognized publishers that, despite difficult challenges and uncertainty, have prioritized their community as much as, if not more than, their own business interests. We continue to be inspired by all of the gestures we’ve seen from around the industry, and we... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2020-04-24 15:33:49 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House has launched a collaboration with charity Speakers for Schools delivering a series of virtual educational events from its authors, streaming to thousands of students across the UK. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-23 20:41:22 UTC ]
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Judge famous for ruling against Boris Johnson will recount how ‘a little girl from North Yorkshire became the most senior judge in the UK’ Lady Hale, who presided over the momentous decision to rule Boris Johnson’s prorogation of parliament unlawful, is set to write her memoirs, of how “a little... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-04-23 14:06:04 UTC ]
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