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 ]
The new Salaam imprint, focused on Muslim characters and stories, is expected to launch in 2017 with nine books, from picture books for children to Young Adult titles for tweens and teens. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster is set to publish Freedom: My Book of Firsts, a memoir by Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was kidnapped in the US aged 11 and held prisoner for 18 years. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing has announced the launch of Salaam Reads, focusing on Muslim characters and stories. The post Simon & Schuster’s Salaam Reads Focuses on Muslim Characters and Stories appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-02-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster’s Atheneum imprint buys a picture book by Richard T. Morris, Da Capo nabs a book about the battle of Antietam, Dial signs Jessica Taylor for two YA novels, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An increase in operating efficiencies, higher backlist sales, and lower returns drove double-digit earnings increases. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bruce Springsteen has penned his autobiography, set for international release through Simon & Schuster this September. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Research by the Bookseller shows that sales for the ‘big five’ UK publishers dropped in 2015Ebook sales for the UK’s five biggest publishers fell in 2015, according to a new report in the Bookseller, collectively declining 2.4%, to 47.9m units. It is the first drop in numbers of books sold in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Egmont, Andersen Press and Simon & Schuster each have three books on the longlist for this year’s Branford Boase award. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ingrid Selberg, the former m.d. of Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Division, is teaming up with Emma Young to write a middle-grade fiction series about vloggers for Macmillan Children’s Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If Amazon’s business practices continue unchecked the result could be a “nuclear winter” for book publishing, said Smashwords founder Mark Coker during a Jan. 27 event called Amazon’s Book Monopoly—A Threat to Freedom of Expression? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The recent New Delhi World Book Fair highlights the challenges and opportunities in India's massive book market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Showtime series, which ended its second season on Sunday night, has become a favorite topic of water cooler chat among book industry types. With so many delighting in the travails of Brooklyn-high-school-English-teacher-turned-successful-novelist Noah Solloway, we dug up five of our favorite... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The multi-content subscription service, in beta since 2014, has gone live. It offers tiered access to books, TV/film, music and video games, and has partnerships with such publishers as HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Resources and coverage from the Global Kids Connect conference, a convergence of innovative minds focused on children’s book publishing and the changing children’s book business in China. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen Page also says publishers must ‘understand mobile’ and put smartphone communication at the centre of thinkingThe chief executive of publisher Faber & Faber has challenged the book publishing industry to respond to the rapid increase in smartphone use, particularly by young... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has restructured its marketing and publicity teams, with communications director Hannah Corbett leaving the publisher after 13 years. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Softening sales for digital books have impacted the bottom lines at HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, according to both companies' recent earnings reports. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Revenue at the Big Five house increased 2% in the third quarter, rising to $203 million. Bestselling adult titles in the quarter included 'The Survivor' by Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills, and this year's Pulitzer Prize-winner for fiction, Anthony Doerr's 'All the Light We Cannot See.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Skyhorse Publishing has named Mark Gompertz group editorial director, effective November 9. Gompertz, who was most recently at Hearst Magazines, had a long tenure at Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has bought world rights (excluding Germany) in These Days of Ours, a new novel by Juliet Ashton, and will publish in June 2016. Ashton, who was previously published by Sphere in the UK, is a superstar in Germany, where she has shifted more than 100,000 copies for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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