Amidst all the rumors and reports surrounding the Penguin/Random House merger, what does it all mean for authors? Is it just the beginning of more mergers to come? How will this impact author advances? Digital publishing? And might the merger actually benefit indie authors?
Take a look here at a few of the week’s stories that address this tectonic shift in the major publishing plates and then tell us how you think the merger will affect the face of publishing:
Penguin, Random House Agree on Publishing Merger
Random House and Penguin Merge to Take on Digital Publishing …
mashable.com10/29/12
Random House and Penguin will combine their book publishing operations in a merger to better position themselves for the era of digital publishing. … 6. http://7.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/. Eli Pariser, author and chairman of the board at MoveOn.org, discusses how human editors and algorithms can work together to get users clicking on content that matters. The Filter Bubble: How to Fix Content Curation. 7. http://4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/. Adam Ostrow …
Penguin Random House: How big is big enough? – Tools of Change …
toc.oreilly.com10/29/12
Call me skeptical but I feel the merger between Penguin and Random House is less about creating “greater scale” and more about simple consolidation in a shrinking industry. Which organization is more likely to create the …
What the Penguin & Random House Merger Means for Authors …
blaiselucey.com10/30/12
For the past few years, authors have kind of looked on in dismay as publishing houses like Penguin and Random House lumbered like dinosaurs underneath the growing shadow of the meteoric threat known as ebooks.
Media reacts to Penguin-RH merger – Beattie’s Book Blog
Mixed opinions have been voiced by commentators on both sides of the Atlantic on the Penguin/Random House merger, with some arguing the move may weaken the strong Penguin brand and may lead to infighting between executives, … He argued that consolidation and the ability to “face down the monopolists of the digital age” are the two reasons behind the merger: “This is consolidation and both authors and readers will have less choice and less diversity”.
What the Random House–Penguin Merger Means for Authors …
www.hollywoodreporter.com10/31/12
The deal that creates the world’s largest publisher could directly impact their book advances.
Penguin merger minuses could be pluses for indies | Books …
www.guardian.co.uk11/1/12
A good article, if only because the writer takes a measured view. Publishing is a conservative industry, and as I said elsewhere the Penguin/Random House merger is essentially defensive: a typical move in the absence of …
Interesting comment above! I thought it a done deal. But the shake-out will be interesting.
It’s unlikely that the merger will happen at all. Buzz or no buzz. These are deals that must be approved internationally because they are international coporations, and negotiations with the Brits, the Germans, the French et al haven’t even begun.