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 ]
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 16/03/2011 - 14:59 HarperCollins has bought a book by Jermaine Jackson about the life of his pop star brother Michael. World rights to You are Not Alone: Michael, Through a Brother's Eyes were bought by Natalie Jerome, publishing director for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 15/03/2011 - 15:45 Apple's latest version of its iBooks app, which allows ebooks to have a pictorial layout similar to printed books and supports full page illustrations, has been hailed by one publisher as being "the beginning of a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 14/03/2011 - 08:52 United Agents co-founder and children's agent Rosemary Canter died on Friday [11th March]. Canter began her publishing career as assistant fiction editor at Penguin Books in 1972, eventually working in children's book... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 02/03/2011 - 07:54 Simon & Schuster UK will publish the memoir of Prizzi's Honour actress Anjelica Huston next year after buying her autobiography. S&S UK bought UK and Commonwealth rights including Australia from Cathryn Summerhayes in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 17/02/2011 - 09:30 Operating income at Simon & Schuster's global business leapt 39.5% in 2010, despite a slight decline in sales. For the 12 months ending 31st December, operating income at S&S was $64.6m (£40.1m). Revenue declined... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 08/02/2011 - 08:20 Simon & Schuster Childrens Books has acquired an adventure series inspired by Arthurian legend. Venetia Gosling, fiction editorial director at Simon & Schuster, bought world rights to eight books from Ben... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Amazon.co.uk has selected books published by Myriad Editions, Fig Tree, Atlantic Books and Simon & Schuster as its four Rising Stars for this quarter. Snowdrops by A D Miller (Atlantic Books) is currently the featured book, with a Q&A with Miller on the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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