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 ]
Scholastic and Penguin Random House retained their #1 spots in our rankings of children’s frontlist fiction and picture book bestsellers by corporation, respectively, though each company’s share of positions on its list diminished slightly from 2018. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Los Angeles Review of Books editor Tom Lutz talks about "Born Slippy," his first novel, and why the city should have a more vibrant book publishing industry Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-02-09 15:00:03 UTC ]
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Publishers will continue to look beyond their legacy business models in the coming years, and lean on technologies to not only improve their operations, but also their products. This idea was the thesis of a recent survey we conducted with a representative sample of leaders from across our... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2020-02-06 15:59:25 UTC ]
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On a bookshelf alongside the dining-room table, I maintain a narcissistic shrine consisting of first-edition copies of my eight books. Four of them were published by Alice Mayhew, the legendary editor at Simon & Schuster who died earlier this week at the well-disguised age of 87. And those... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-06 00:28:27 UTC ]
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On a bookshelf alongside the dining-room table, I maintain a narcissistic shrine consisting of first-edition copies of my eight books. Four of them were published by Alice Mayhew, the legendary editor at Simon & Schuster who died earlier this week at the well-disguised age of 87. And those... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-06 00:28:27 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House teams with TBWA and Barnes & Noble to launch #DiversityEditions for Black History Month. During the Pequod‘s last voyage in Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick, Captain Ahab is 58 years old. Physically, he has a prosthetic leg made of whale bone, and a pale white mark or... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-02-05 09:00:42 UTC ]
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Because they have nothing to hide about anything, the White House has issued some kind of threat—according to CNN’s Jake Tapper—in a formal letter to former National Security Adviser John Bolton, whose forthcoming memoir from Simon & Schuster contains first-hand accounts of Donald Trump... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-01-29 17:43:05 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Audio will publish an audiobook edition of the stage production of Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel My Name is Lucy Barton (Viking) by the show’s star, Hollywood actress Laura Linney. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-10 15:27:10 UTC ]
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After beginning 2019 with 10 companies, the Publishers Weekly Stock Index was down to only eight members at the close of the year, losing Barnes & Noble and Simon & Schuster. The remaining companies saw their combined stock price decline by 9%. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-01-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House has confirmed the death of Sonny Mehta, editor in chief of Knopf and chairman of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Mehta died yesterday (30th December) in Manhattan at the age of 77, from complications from pneumonia. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-30 16:18:01 UTC ]
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This week on The Maris Review, Susan Orlean joins Maris Kreizman to discuss her latest book, The Library Book, now available in paperback from Simon & Schuster. On how fire has shaped California: Maris Kreizman: A chilling thing that I realized when we first talked about the book is that you... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-19 09:48:21 UTC ]
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Pearson is selling its remaining 25% stake in Penguin Random House to Bertelsmann, as its c.e.o. John Fallon prepares to retire next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-18 01:20:40 UTC ]
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Malorie Blackman sold her life story to them, other hot authors are lining up. What makes Stormzy’s imprint so different?In a glass-walled meeting room on the fifth floor of Penguin Random House headquarters in Pimlico, Theophina Gabriel is talking about her love of reading while laughing at her... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-12-16 08:00:15 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle’s annual letter to company employees emphasized the acquisitions the publisher has made across the publishing world this year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House c.e.o. Markus Dohle has hailed the company's acquisitions and investments and called on the firm to leverage its "unique role in the world as a force for good", in a year end letter to staff. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-12 04:25:11 UTC ]
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Paul Bogaards, longtime head of publicity at Knopf and Pantheon, has been promoted to deputy publisher of the two Penguin Random House imprints. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House has a new UK-built D2C holiday gift selector, and ups its donation to longtime charity partner First Book. The post PRH Uses UK Designer for Holiday Campaign, Adds 300,000 Books to Donation appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-12-05 08:30:52 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House US will donate up to 300,000 more children’s books to First Book, the literacy charity, on behalf of former US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-04 05:39:25 UTC ]
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As part of a series of promotions at WaterBrook and Multnomah, Laura Barker has been named executive v-p and publisher of the Penguin Random House imprints, effective immediately. She was previously v-p, editor-in-chief. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House UK has moved to a centralised rights team for the adult trade business, boosting the team by two and announcing a number of senior promotions. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-03 19:45:37 UTC ]
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