Why the Merger of Two Major Publishing Houses is Sounding an Alarm
What you need to know — simplified
If you’re a writer, you’ve probably heard about the proposed merger of Simon & Schuster with Penguin Random House. If you haven’t, you probably will. It’s a fundamental issue in the shaping of the publishing industry that may actually be litigated by the Department of Justice.
Here’s what you need to know and why it matters, simplified.
Who is Penguin Random House?
Penguin Random House (PRH) is the biggest publishing house in the United States. It was already a powerhouse publisher when it acquired Penguin in 2013. Owned by a German media conglomerate named Bertelsmann, PRH publishes 15,000 titles each year, has 95 imprints, and is the only US publisher shipping books from their warehouses seven days a week.
Who is Simon & Schuster?
Simon & Schuster (S&S) was founded almost a century ago and was originally opened as a publisher of crossword puzzles. The company is owned by Viacom CBS. Currently, S&S has thirty distinct divisions.
The company evolved into a much more sophisticated entity than just a publisher of puzzles. It publishes 2400 titles a year and owns a catalog of 30,000 books and…
