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 Justice Department is reportedly preparing to go after Apple, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Penguin, Macmillan and HarperCollins following its investigation into alleged ebook price-rigging. The case centers around a deal to switch to agency pricing, where the vendor takes a 30 percent cut... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has acquired a novel called The Meryl Streep Movie Club, in which four women... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has acquired two books from debut novelist Kimberly McCreight in a "... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Since ebooks first became a meaningful part of a publisher’s business in 2009, results at Simon & Schuster have followed a familiar pattern—a decline in revenue but an increase in earnings. Between 2009 and 2011, total sales at S&S dipped 0.7%, but adjusted operating income has jumped... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The word synergy, in the world of book publishing, feels like a term that died in the ’90s. Back then, almost every publisher housed within a media conglomerate was touting the ways it would use its TV-making or movie-making sister companies to sell books. Fox would boost HarperCollins.... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has signed another two as-yet-untitled novels by The Bellwether Revivals... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has pre-empted a historical novel about Typhoid Mary for a six-figure sum.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster is to publish two new novels by Kishwar Desai, along with a re-release of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has appointed Claire Hey as senior commissioning editor for fiction,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has signed a two-book deal with Always On My Mind author Colette Caddle. S... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-books are expected to account for 17% of Simon & Schuster's total revenue in 2011,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has paid a "healthy six-figure sum" for the autobiography of June... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has bought the memoir of entrepreneur and creator of the Giggly Pig sausage... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has acquired a memoir by Sam Faiers, star of reality TV series "The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has bought a book dubbed "The Tiger Mother meets The Last Lecture... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury has appointed Emma Blackburn, Simon & Schuster's editorial director of picture... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 17/11/2011 - 12:13 Viking has won a title by journalist Ed Caesar about marathon running and the race to beat the two-hour barrier, using research and interviews to be conducted around the world. Viking editorial director Joel Rickett... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Wed, 02/11/2011 - 14:00 Walter Isaacson's biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs sold 379,000 copies in the US in it first week on bookshops shelves, BookScan US data has revealed. The $35 publication, published by Simon & Schuster in the US,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Wed, 02/11/2011 - 14:00 Walter Isaacson's biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs sold 379,000 copies in the US in its first week on bookshop shelves, BookScan US data has revealed. The $35 publication, published by Simon & Schuster in the US,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 28/10/2011 - 10:53 Actress and Loose Women co-presenter Lynda Bellingham has signed a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster to write commercial women's fiction. Publishing director Suzanne Baboneau signed the deal with Gordon Wise at Curtis... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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