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 ]

Other news stories related to: "The Guardian view on the book publishing industry: no one size fits all | Editorial"

Simon & Schuster Names Its New Board Members

A deep bench of experience, from Penguin Random House and Disney to TikTok and YouTube, is on Simon & Schuster's new board of directors. The post Simon & Schuster Names Its New Board Members appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-12-07 21:21:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Naomi Alderman On Tech Billionaires as Today’s Villains

This week on The Maris Review, Naomi Alderman joins Maris Kreizman live at the Strand Bookstore in New York City to discuss The Future, out now from Simon & Schuster. Subscribe and download the episode, wherever you get your podcasts. * from the episode: Maris Kreizman: You really captured... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-07 09:06:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Richard Sarnoff, Madeline McIntosh Among New Simon & Schuster Board Members

Following the purchase of Simon & Schuster by private equity firm KKR, the publisher has named its new board of directors, which includes S&S CEO Jonathan Karp, industry veteran Richard Sarnoff, and former Penguin Random House US CEO Madeline McIntosh. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-07 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

The Best Podcasts Engaged in Literary Activism

A lot of us talk the talk about what’s wrong with book publishing today—but who among us is walking the walk and actually effecting change in the world of literature? On Missing Pages, which I host for The Podglomerate, we look into past and present situations and processes (even scandals and... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-12-06 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Frankfurter Buchmesse Names Chile Its 2027 Guest of Honor

The publishing market of Chile — where 'the sky and the stars tell their own stories' — Juergen Boos says, is Frankfurt's 2027 guest of honor. The post Frankfurter Buchmesse Names Chile Its 2027 Guest of Honor appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-12-01 20:49:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Penguin Random House Sues the US State of Iowa

Penguin Random House — along with the Iowa State Education Association, authors, students, and educators — is taking Iowa to court for its law against sexual content in books. The post Penguin Random House Sues the US State of Iowa appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-11-30 23:47:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this

How a Book Publishing ‘Mistake’ Reignited the U.K.’s Royal Racism Furor

The rollout of “Endgame” caused a scandal after a quickly withdrawn translation named family members said to have asked about the skin color of Prince Harry and Meghan’s future son. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-11-30 16:38:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Penguin Random House, Authors Sue to Block Iowa Anti-LGBTQ Book Banning Law

Penguin Random House and the Iowa State Education Association, along with four bestselling authors and five plaintiffs from the state of Iowa, have sued the state to block key provisions of its sweeping new law banning books with sexual or LGBTQ+ content in schools. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Will Haberman and Swan’s 2025 Trump book be a comedy or a tragedy?

Photo by Rachel Cobb Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan have signed a lucrative deal with Simon & Schuster to write a book about whatever the hell happens to Donald Trump in 2024. Oh, sorry: THIS IS AN AXIOS SCOOP! • SCOOP! • SCOOP! Yes, that’s right, this book will be either a gritty... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-27 13:59:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Yahdon Israel Pulls Back the Curtain on Publishing

The senior editor at Simon & Schuster, who acquired NBA finalist ‘Temple Folk’ after putting out a call for submissions on Instagram, wants to make the publishing industry more transparent and accessible. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Jack Artenstein, Former S&S Group President and Publisher, Dies at 83

After executive roles at Grosset & Dunlap and Simon & Schuster, Artenstein launched RGA/Lowell House in 1984, and sold the company to the NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group in 1998. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

John le Carré’s son to write new George Smiley novel

Nicholas Cornwell will return his father’s best-loved spy to the page in a new novel set between The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier SpyFans of thriller writer David Cornwell – better known by his pen name John le Carré – may have thought they had seen the last of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-11-10 14:00:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Jaci Updike Is Penguin Random House's First Chief Revenue Officer

The PRH sales veteran has been promoted to the newly created position of chief revenue officer, from president of sales and marketing, at Penguin Random House U.S. The division's Jeff Weber and Michael Rotondo also received promotions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Penguin Random House Issues a First Diversity Report

PRH's Nihar Malaviya talks of 'an environment where all employees are empowered to grow, succeed, and speak up,' in the US division's first DEI report. The post Penguin Random House Issues a First Diversity Report appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-11-04 00:09:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this

John Sargent on Adventures and Misadventures in Publishing

Roxanne Coady talks with John Sargent about his many adventures in book publishing at a time when the industry met many challenges and some of the authors and other characters he worked with along the way. Subscribe and download the episode, wherever you get your podcasts!... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-02 08:18:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Simon & Schuster Sale to KKR Officially Completed

Simon & Schuster has officially been sold to KKR a few months after the deal was announced and after a long journey that began in 2020. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-11-01 16:40:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this

KKR Completes Purchase of Simon & Schuster

The private equity firm, whose other holdings include OverDrive, has finalized its $1.62 billion purchase of S&S, the country's third largest trade book publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Penguin Random House launches high schoolers’ award to combat book bans

The publisher’s $10,000 Freedom of Expression prize invites teens to write about a banned book that changed their life, against a backdrop of rising censorshipPublisher Penguin Random House has launched a new writing award in the US celebrating freedom of expression in response to a rise in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-10-24 12:34:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Why Toni Morrison Left Publishing

Commercial book publishing was (and is) unbearably white. In 1971, when Toni Morrison became a trade editor, about 95 percent of the fiction published by the big commercial houses was by white authors. By 2018, that number dropped only to 89 percent. One of the only other black women working as... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-24 08:50:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this