Insights into ‘the Publishing Trial of the Century’ from Industry Insiders and Observers
And what revelations from the Penguin Random House antitrust case mean for writers
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In “Why Every Writer Needs to Care About This Current Court Case,” Melissa Gouty provides a great look at the Penguin Random House antitrust case, which Esquire magazine has called “the publishing trial of the century.” She presents the current state of the top publishers operating in the U.S. (and the advances they typically pay) and how that stands to change should Penguin Random House win this trial, which just wrapped up. A judge’s decision is due this fall. Gouty lists the Big Five publishers currently operating in the U.S. — Penguin Random House followed in order by HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster (which PRH hopes to acquire), Hachette Book Group, and Macmillan — and their geographical ties. She then states, “If the merger between [Penguin] Random House and Simon & Schuster goes through, you’ll have four companies that control 80% of the book market.”
As one of my favorite industry insiders, Jane Friedman, puts it, “the U.S. government is attempting to stop Penguin Random…
