The Guardian view on the writing business: readers must ultimately benefit | Editorial

People want stories and that means cultivating a publishing ecosystem where big and small can flourishThis week both the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority and the Department of Justice in the US announced investigations into the planned $2.2bn acquisition of the publisher Simon & Schuster by Bertelsmann, which already owns Penguin Random House. The merger, if allowed, would see Bertelsmann have almost one-third of English-language book sales. The move follows a year when a population cocooned at home, reaching for comfort reading, inflated the profits of big publishers. Bloomsbury and Pan Macmillan recently announced that they would be returning furlough payments; HarperCollins did not take them.Many of the UK’s smaller publishers fared rather differently: a Bookseller survey last summer found 60% feared they would cease to exist by autumn. Indies tend not to have the backlists full of household names that, say, a Penguin has; they depend far more on serendipity, on a customer wandering into a shop intending to buy one thing but coming out with something else as well. This happens far less with online shopping; at least one publisher lost up to 90% in sales. Some also found it difficult to qualify for furlough. They took to social media to announce their plight, or to try new selling tactics; some crowdfunded; some received emergency Arts Council England cash. Many were dragged back from the brink, for which we should be grateful. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-03-28 17:25:47 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "The Guardian view on the writing business: readers must ultimately benefit | Editorial"

'It’s been a rollercoaster': how indie publishers survived - and thrived - in 2020

When lockdown came in March, many small presses feared they would go out of business. But then came an outpouring of support from the publicThe best books from indie publishers in 2020Six months ago, independent publishers Jacaranda and Knights Of were warning publicly that their income had... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-12-16 08:00:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this

HCCP Names Senior V-p of Direct to Consumer Business

HarperCollins Christian Publishing and HarperCollins Focus appointed Kate Johnson to lead the expansion of its direct-to-consumer business as senior v-p of direct. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Bloomsbury lands first novel in 48 years by Wole Soyinka

Bloomsbury is to publish Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth by Wole Soyinka, the Nobel Laureate's first novel in 48 years. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-09 16:14:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Bloomsbury gifts thousands of books to children in Hastings

Bloomsbury has launched a Christmas campaign in partnership with the National Literacy Trust Hub in Hastings to donate more than 11,000 books to children for Christmas. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-07 13:33:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this

William Collins pre-empts 'radical' Dalrymple debut on Indian independence

William Collins has snapped up a “radical” new assessment of Indian independence from debut author Sam Dalrymple in a pre-emptive co-publication deal with HarperCollins India. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-06 19:12:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this

BA and Bookshop.org respond to bookseller criticism

The Booksellers Association and Bookshop.org have responded to criticism following the launch of the online website in the UK in November. The criticism, which is focused on how effective the website will be at supporting independent bookshops and the BA's role in facilitating the launch, came... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-04 19:10:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Generational shift in the Covid-challenged Bookseller 150

The Bookseller's 12th annual list of the industry's most influential people reveals a spate of pandemic heroes. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-03 23:15:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this

HarperCollins pre-empts 'definitive account' of Trump presidency from Haberman

HarperCollins Publishers has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, for a currently untitled book about Donald Trump by New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-02 16:56:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Let an Indie Bookseller Pick the Best Book Subscription for You

Missing the recommendations of your favorite independent booksellers? Let a bookseller choose your next read through these subscription boxes. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-12-02 11:38:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Major publishing fairs BookExpo and BookCon to 'retire' after pandemic cancellations

BookExpo, the largest bookseller trade show in the U.S., and its consumer-facing sibling BookCon have been indefinitely canceled because of the pandemic. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-12-01 20:30:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Bloomsbury spreads word with industry-exclusive proof for The Other Black Girl

Bloomsbury has launched its marketing and publicity campaign for Zakiya Dalila Harris' publishing-set novel, The Other Black Girl, with a proof going exclusively to industry professionals. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-01 04:30:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Avon to publish 'heart-warming home front read' from Taylor

HarperCollins imprint Avon Books will publish Gracie Taylor's historical novel Edie’s Home for Strays. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-01 01:09:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this

PRH and HC win at Audio Production Awards

Penguin Random House and HarperCollins have both scooped prizes at this year's Audio Production Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-27 08:52:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this

HarperCollins signs two-book deal with Brooke

HarperCollins has signed a new two-book deal with “supremely talented and prolific” author Amanda Brooke. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-26 21:27:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Raven acquires two in 'major' debut deal

Alison Hennessey, publishing director of Bloomsbury Publishing's Raven Books, has sealed a two-book deal after a "passionately fought" auction for The Leviathan and The Puzzle Wood by debut author Helen-Rose (Rosie) Andrews. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-26 12:42:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Penguin to buy Simon & Schuster, create publishing giant

German media giant Bertelsmann says that its Penguin Random House division is buying rival Simon & Schuster Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2020-11-25 20:24:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this

PRH owner Bertelsmann to buy Simon & Schuster in $2bn deal

German media firm, already owner of the giant Penguin Random House, says acquisition of another major publisher is ‘approvable’ within monopoly rulesGerman media group Bertelsmann is set to acquire publisher Simon & Schuster for $2.17bn, less than a year after it took control of Penguin... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-11-25 16:55:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Germany’s Bertelsmann To Buy Simon & Schuster for US$2.175 Billion

Penguin Random House parent company Bertelsmann will acquire Simon & Schuster. If the sale is approved by regulators, the Big Five will become the the Big Four. The post Germany’s Bertelsmann To Buy Simon & Schuster for US$2.175 Billion appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-11-25 15:02:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this