Big Five

Last week, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster filed a response to the US Department of Justice’s antitrust suit,

Dohle argues that the existing market is more vibrant and competitive than ever, and PRH’s acquisition model preserves competition among its imprints.

Bertelsmann, the parent company of Penguin Random House (the largest of the Big Five), recently reported results for the first half of 2021.

Marysue Rucci Books will launch with a Summer 2022 list; Scribner publisher Nan Graham says in a press release,.

Markus Dohle, who has more than 30 years of experience in the industry, says people are often pessimistic about the future of books—and he knows why

The new effort, All Seasons Press, comes from two former Big Five editors—one from Simon & Schuster, the other from Hachette.

Last year was the biggest year for political book sales since BookScan began tracking the category in 2004, in no small part due to the Trump administration

Media outlets continue to report on tensions surrounding the book deal that Simon & Schuster struck with Mike Pence in March.

Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, has launched the Books Like Us First Novel Contest to “facilitate accessibility to underrepresented writers and celebrate the diversity of readers across the United States.”

After allegations of sexual misconduct were reported against Bailey in The New York Times, his publisher, Norton, took his biography out of print in late April and reverted all rights.

After claiming an inability to pick and choose which titles it distributes from other presses, Simon & Schuster has declined to distribute a controversial memoir from distribution client Post Hill Press.

Full-year financial reports from 2020 are now available from the Big Five with the exception of Macmillan, which is privately held.

Last week, the US Department of Justice and UK regulators announced further investigation into the proposed merger of the two Big Five publishers.

Kate Hartson, an editor with Hachette’s conservative imprint Center Street, was recently fired, she says, for political reasons.

Law firm Hagens Berman has filed a new ebook price-fixing suit against Amazon.

The Authors Guild has written a letter to the Department of Justice, urging it to stop Penguin Random House’s acquisition of Simon & Schuster.

Publishers Weekly, which runs its own hardcover and paperback bestseller lists, recently calculated the market share of the list by publisher.

Regnery Publishing picked up the title soon after its cancellation; the conservative publisher has been distributed by Simon & Schuster since 2018.

Print book sales in the US remained strong through the holidays and end of the year. During the holiday season.

In our last issue, we rounded up multiple viewpoints on the potential of the Big Five becoming the Big Four.

This chart based on sales reports from the US divisions of Big Five publishers. Figures gleaned-- Publishers Weekly and Publishers Lunch

As word spread about the successful bid of Penguin Random House to acquire Simon & Schuster, industry advocacy organizations spoke out quickly.

But the greater demand for books during the pandemic contrasts sharply with the hardship faced by brick-and-mortar booksellers

The imprint will launch in 2022 and publish across practical nonfiction categories, including health/wellness, business, self-help, and more.

The imprint, housed under the Atria Books division, is headed up by radio presenter, television personality, and author Charlamagne tha God.