The Guardian view on the book publishing industry: no one size fits all | Editorial

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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BEA 2014: Successful Longevity

In November of 2012 Herman Wouk, at age 97, spoke to Brooks Barnes of the New York Times about his newest book, The Law Giver, which had just been published by Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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Authors on the Air May 28, 2014: Michael Waldman

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S&S Adds E-Book Backlist to Oyster, Scribd

Simon & Schuster has reached an agreement with subscription ebook services Oyster and Scribd to make 10,000 of its backlist ebooks available to subscribers. This is S&S’s first time offering its titles via ebook subscription services. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Global subscription deal for S&S

Simon & Schuster has partnered with Oyster and Scribd to offer subscriptions to its backlist... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing Campaigns Grow On Kickstarter

Crowdfunding, and Kickstarter in particular, continue to make inroads in book publishing, providing financing for everything from one-off projects to support for entire lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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First quarter sales in 2014 fell 11% at Simon & Schuster, to $153 million, but operating income rose to $11 million from $10 million in the first quarter of 2013, parent company CBS reported. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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Unprepared

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Job Moves: May 6, 2014

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Check it Out with Michael Kelley: Simon & Schuster’s E-book Lending Pilot

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Judge approves class-action suit against Apple in ebooks case

A New York judge has given the go-ahead for a group to collectively sue Apple for damages over its collusion with publishers to fix the price of electronic books.Denise Cote, a judge at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, wrote in her approval of class status that... Continue reading at PC World

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How the Meat Industry Keeps Chicken Prices High

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